


New Bridges

by SunflowerSaga



Category: Jurassic World Trilogy (Movies)
Genre: Clawen Week (Jurassic Park), F/M, Falling In Love, Slow Burn, single mom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:01:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26957749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunflowerSaga/pseuds/SunflowerSaga
Summary: After being forced to run from her old life, Claire Dearing moved herself and her baby daughter to Seattle. She is determined to start a new chapter alone while trying her best to raise her daughter. But a particular firefighter, catches her eye and the world seems to want these two people together.
Relationships: Claire Dearing/Owen Grady
Comments: 41
Kudos: 107





	1. The Lazy Cat

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> I have had this idea in my head since the start of lockdown. 
> 
> I wanted to try and give my other story time but I couldn't wait to start working on this idea. 
> 
> I hope you all like the first chapter.
> 
> And as always, please tell me your thoughts. 
> 
> Thank you. 
> 
> 💕

This wasn’t the first time Claire Dearing had got lost in Seattle.

This wasn’t even the second time.

Since relocating to Washington’s biggest city, Claire had lost her way home eight times.

It’s like her brain wanted her to be walking round aimlessly for hours.

At least the weather was warm today.

Not like last week, when she became drenched in seconds as the sky decided to unload around two weeks’ worth of rain on her.

When she’d left her new apartment this morning, she’d planned her route out thoroughly, so this wouldn’t happen again.

She’d kept the map open as a tab on her iPhone and started the route after walking to the grocery store for her weekly shop.

However, as she was paying, her phone decided to die.

She kicked herself as she realised, she’d forgotten to switch her charger on last night.

Then this young businessman tried to hit on her as she was leaving, so she’d panicked and trotted calmly out of the store’s entrance to find herself once again lost in Seattle.

Claire had tried to just walk back the way she’d came, looking for things she’d remembered seeing earlier that morning. But it was lunch time on a Wednesday and most people were enjoying the last days of summer before September brought the fall.

Refusing to let this new turn of events affect her, Claire walked along the high street which looked slightly familiar and tried to search for anything that screamed home.

However, after about forty-five minutes, she was growing tired and no doubt Summer was getting restless, with the constant noise of the traffic and people. So, the red head looked around for somewhere to stop and regroup.

She thought about even asking somewhere to charge her phone, that way she could at least get back to her small apartment and cry in the confinement of her bedroom.

Just as Claire felt a lump begin to form in the back of her throat, a small coffee shop caught her eye.

It was a little way down the street with brightly painted letters above reading, THE LAZY CAT. It certainly stood out amongst the sea of grey buildings.

It looked inviting and cosy.

Claire quickly pressed the button to cross the busy street and walked towards the inviting haven.

As she got closer, Claire could tell it was evidently very loved.

There were small potted plants lining the window ledges with a few tables painted blue and green positioned close to the exterior of the shop.

There were quite a few people seated inside, laughing and eating a wide range of snacks and sandwiches. There was even a small queue of people waiting for their daily dose of caffeine at the counter.

Claire bit back her nerves at sitting in a busy café, knowing she can’t walk around for much longer without having a full-blown mental breakdown.

Luckily, as she pushed open the wooden door, Claire could see a sparse few tables available, not to mention how cosy the inside looked.

Taking a deep breath, she walked through the door.

She tried her best to manoeuvre through the door without causing a scene, which was proving incredibly difficult. The door was extremely heavy, like it was made in the 1920s and there was a large plant pot behind the door preventing it from opening all the way.

Thankfully an old man came to her aid by grabbing the other side for her.

“Thank you” Claire said quietly, smiling at the gentleman.

His old eyes crinkled kindly, lips turning up at the edges.

“No worries darling. It’s what a gentleman does best.” He winked at her before returning to his table, where an elderly woman sat waiting.

Claire smiled, taking a moment to look around the busy coffee house for a table.

There were bookcases lining the walls, hundreds of books waiting to be read and looking well loved. The counter was on her left as she entered, with two large black machines making a hiss every time one of the barristers made someone a latte.

There were about twenty tables inside, which she thought was impressive for an independent shop. The tables were surrounded by either wooden chairs or if they were in the corner, big red armchairs.

Claire elected for that option as her back was killing her. She spotted a small table with two armchairs at the back of the shop, right next to a pot with two or three sunflowers in it.

They’re her favourite flower.

Maybe today was looking up.

Perfect.

Being careful to manoeuvre herself around the dozens of tables, she arrived at her chosen seating place.

One chair had a newspaper on it, which she picked up and placed on the round wooden table in front of her. The other chair was filled with far too many cushions but still looked incredibly comfortable.

Claire pushed that one back slightly so she could wheel the stroller closer to the table.

She quietly leant down under the visor to check and see if her five-month-old daughter was still asleep.

To her surprise, she found two blue eyes gazing back at her.

Claire instantly smiled, her heart swelling with love at how beautiful her baby girl was. Her curly blonde hair peeking out from under the pink hat Claire had put on her this morning.

“Hey baby.” She cooed, watching her daughter’s eyes absord her mother’s face. “I’m sorry everything is taking so long. Mommy got us lost again.”

She sighed, looking up to see if the crowd had gone down at the counter. There was only one young girl waiting now, so Claire thought it would be the best time for a drink.

“Let’s go get us a drink shall we sweet girl?”

Claire bent down into the pram to gently pick her daughter up. It took Summer a while to adjust to the bright light now available to her vision but then her eyes were wide with wonder.

Her tiny head resting on Claire’s shoulder as she stared at the pot of sunflowers to Claire’s left.

After kindly asking two women on the table next to hers to watch her bags, Claire made her way over to the list of choices for her drink.

She gently patted her baby’s back as she rocked her back and forwards, enjoying the now familiar weight of her daughter leaning across her shoulder.

Since moving to Seattle, a month ago, Claire has barely spoke to anyone besides her daughter. Not knowing a single person from this city and not really wanting to talk to strangers, Claire had felt incredibly lonely.

So, for the first time in a long time, she felt quite comfortable in this little coffee shop.

Normally, Claire was just an americano type woman.

Today though, she felt like trying something new.

As the young girl in front of Claire collected her order from the end of the counter, a smiley dark-skinned lady barista, waved her forward.

“Hey sweetheart, what can I get for ya?”

Claire stepped forward, taking on last look at the menu board and deciding what she wanted.

“Uh, I’ll have a caramel cappuccino please.” She replied, politely.

“Of course, my love. Coming right up.”

The lady turned around to tend to the coffee machine for Claire’s order, humming a tune quietly under her breath.

“You got a beautiful baby there hun.”

Claire jumped suddenly when she realised the woman was talking to her over her shoulder.

“Uh, thank you.” She blushed, never really knowing how to react when someone says that to her. Her daughter made a gurling sound on her shoulder, smacking her little hand on Claire’s neck.

“I bet you get that comment a lot huh?”

Claire was again surprised that the woman was still talking to her, having turned around fully to look at the mother and daughter.

“Yeah. But I can’t disagree.” She turned her head to gaze at her baby girl, always so grateful that she was Summer’s mommy.

“You new here?”

Claire glanced up to see the lady filling her cup with hot milk.

“How did you know?”

The woman chuckles while putting the milk jug down. She rests a hand on her hip and looks right into Claire’s eyes.

“I can tell hun. You seem nervous.”

Claire was a little taken aback by how forward this woman was. Not used to people being able to read her so well.

“Yeah well new city and all.” She shrugged, reaching forward for her coffee.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make your uncomfortable. My husband’s always telling me to keep quiet around new people. Says I shouldn’t assume things.” The woman laughs while wiping her hands on a towel.

Claire finds herself smiling slightly, all unease gone.

“It’s ok. I guess I just didn’t realise how transparent I was.” She shifted self-consciously, moving Summer off her shoulder, to her baby’s back against her tummy. She put a hand under her bum to support her.

“Nonsense.” The barista waved. “You aren’t transparent sweetie. Let’s just say I’ve had that look in my eyes before. Just recognised it.”

Claire cocked her head to the side.

“What look?”

“Lost.”

The lady replied quickly but not unkindly.

Claire swallowed roughly. Her breath catching in the back of her throat.

She definitely did feel lost.

And not just because her phone had died today.

Before the mother could formulate a response, the woman stuck her hand out.

“Camilla. But most people call me Cam.” She smiled widely at Claire, waiting for her to accept the handshake.

Claire found herself drawn to this woman.

No one had been this friendly to her since she got to this city.

It was refreshing.

“Claire.” She shook her hand, smiling warmly at her. “And this.” Motioning to the baby in her arm. “Is Summer.”

Cam bent forward on the counter, so she was eye level with Claire’s daughter.

“It’s lovely to meet you Summer. What a pretty name for a pretty girl.”

Her daughter kicked her legs a few times, giggling at the new face in front of her.

Claire smiled. Her daughter wasn’t used to seeing new faces.

“Camilla what have I told you about staring at people’s babies. Can be tres bizarre.”

Claire’s head whipped around to find a very tall dark-skinned man standing next to her. She involuntarily took a step back and unconsciously moved her baby to her other side.

“Oh, Barry shut up. I was actually introduced to this baby.” Cam said, slapping this man on the arm.

“You said that last time.” He teased in a thick French accent.

“Yes, but that mother was clearly crazy. All I asked was the baby’s name and then she accused me of trying to kidnap the boy.”

Claire obviously grasped that this man must be the husband Cam mentioned earlier, allowing her to relax slightly. She loosened the protective grip she had on her daughter.

“Claire, this is my husband Barry. Barry this is Claire and her daughter Summer. They are new to Seattle.” Cam quickly did the introductions, leaning over the counter to press a kiss to her husband’s cheek.

“It’s lovely to meet you Claire.” Barry said warmly. “And you too Summer.” He stuck his tongue out at her baby, waiting until she smiled at him.

“Nice to meet you too.” She responded, glancing around to check all her things were still at her table. “So, it was lovely to meet you both, but I should probably…”

“Barry!”

All three of them turned their heads to the door.

“That’s the last time I park here. Some jackass flipped me the bird. Actin like he owned the damn parking spot.”

A young man in dark blue trousers and a tight navy tee, strode into the coffee shop looking annoyed.

“Oh, come on, I always park.” Barry shouted at his friend, rolling his eyes towards the newcomer.

“Did you hear that Cam? He always parks?”

Cam tutted at the two men, throwing an exasperated glance at Claire.

“Maybe you two should have got married instead. You bicker enough.”

Claire had to actually bite back a smile at Cam’s comment, especially when the two men’s faces dropped.

While Barry said something to his wife, Claire had a chance to properly observe the new man that had recently joined the line.

He was also very tall but much more filled out than Barry.

He had light brown curly hair which sat on top of his head. He had a slight moustache which suited his face shape and bright blue eyes.

Claire found herself, for the first time in forever, instantly attracted to someone.

To this man.

With his large tanned arms which made the fabric from his tee-shirt strain, his eyes which sparkled as he bantered with his friends and the kind energy his exuded.

For some reason, Claire felt safe with this man.

Like she could tell him all her secrets and he wouldn’t tell a soul.

“Do you think Claire?”

Suddenly, Claire became aware that Cam talking to her.

“Um, sorry?”

“I said that men always make parking a car a game. It’s like they always have to get the right spot, or they lose.”

All three pairs of eyes were now on her, especially the curious blue ones at the other end of the counter.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Claire replied nervously. Her eyes flickered to the mysterious man at the end. He was staring right at her, eyes drinking her all in.

Cam seemed to pick up on the tension between them because she began to make more introductions.

“Claire and Summer, this is Owen Grady. My husband’s best friend.”

Owen broke her gaze to turn to Cam.

“What, I’m not yours too?” Owen pouted, making Cam laugh.

“I don’t think my husband wants me stealing his only friend baby.”

Barry rolled his eyes.

“Oh please. Have him.”

Owen pretended to be physically hurt by that remark, slapping a hand to his chest.

“Ouch.” He exclaimed.

Claire suddenly realised that she was gate-crashing this groups conversation and decided to quietly make her way back to her table.

But before she even turned around, she found Owen had moved closer to her.

“Hey.” He greeted her casually.

Claire turned to face him, bringing her daughter close to her chest.

“Hello.”

She nervously looked back at her table, desperately wishing she has just gone straight back to her table once her coffee was ready.

She wasn’t sure how well she can cope with another friendly conversation. Although Camilla was very lovely and so was her husband.

So maybe this very good-looking man was too.

“Was it Summer?”

Claire raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry?”

“Your daughter. Did Cam say her name was Summer?”

“Oh.” Claire kicked herself for looking stupid. “Yeah, this is Summer.”

Owen smiled widely at her baby, bending down to coo at the tiny girl.

“Aren’t you just the cutest thing.” Owen waved a finger in front of her face in greeting. To Claire’s shock, Summer reached forward and grabbed it before Owen could drop his hand.

Owen laughed in delight.

“Hey babygirl. I know they are pretty fat fingers, but ya can’t eat them.”

Her daughter seemed to find his finger hilarious because she started smiling widely at him.

Claire still couldn’t believe her daughter had reached for someone else. She’s never done that before. In all fairness, Summer had barely met anyone else who wasn’t Claire since the day she was born.

Her own sister had only met her niece once and that was two weeks after Claire left the hospital.

With this in mind, she couldn’t help but smile at the interaction.

When Owen managed to retrieve his finger, he straightened up.

“I didn’t actually think someone would be so drawn to these sausages.” He says, motioning to his fingers. “Even though it was a baby, it’s kind of an ego boost.”

Claire found herself chuckling, putting two fingers to her lips to stop herself from full on giggling.

“Are you using my baby as an ego boost?”

Her tone was disapproving but her eyes were sparkling with humour.

Owen coughed, taking a step back and rubbing the back of his neck.

Claire couldn’t help but notice how cute he was.

“Probably not my best line.”

“But also definitely not your worst.” Barry interrupted, smacking Owen on the back.

Owen scowled at him and muttered what Claire thought was “Oh yeah because you used to be so smooth” under his breath.

He then turned his attention back to her.

“So, is this your first time at the Lazy Cat?”

Claire glanced at Cam and Barry who were engaged in an intimate conversations behind the counter.

The lunchtime rush must be over because a lot of people had left the shop. Probably going back to their jobs.

“Yep, this is my first time.”

Owen smiled at her, gesturing around with his arms.

“How’d you like it?”

Claire observed him while rocking her daughter.

“It’s……. cosy.”

He chuckled.

“It certainly is cosy. Is cosy good or is cosy bad?”

“Oh, cosy is definitely good. Makes me feel at home.” Claire looked at the plants that were clustered together near the door. “Not many places have that effect.”

Owen crossed his arms and leant his hip against the counter. He had a soft smile on his lips which made his eyes crinkle.

“I get that.”

Claire suddenly felt exposed under his soft scrutiny, so she decided to make her escape.

“Well it was lovely to meet you, but I’ve got to feed this one.” She jigged her daughter in her arms and went to the counter to retrieve her possibly cold coffee.

“Oh yeah…. Of course.” Owen stuttered, moving out of her way so she could reach her drink. “Well maybe I’ll see you around here sometime.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “Unless you and your husband live far away?”

Claire could see that Owen was clearly a sweet guy. Who also happened to be incredibly attractive and funny. And if she’d met him three years ago, she’d definitely see him around.

But it wasn’t three years ago.

She had baggage now.

Not to mention a baby.

The last thing she needs is any form of entanglement.

So, ignoring his last question, she tried to make her message clear.

“I’m not sure I’ll be around here again. I live quite far away.”

She watched as his face fell. His smile falling slightly.

Her message was definitely received.

She almost felt bad.

Or maybe she did feel bad.

So, she added.

“But have a nice day.”

Claire threw a quick thank you to Cam before moving across the shop to her table.

She gently put Summer back down in her pram, trying to ignore the blue eyes currently following her every move from the counter.

She couldn’t believe how much she let him suck her in to that conversation.

Wasn’t she even flirting with the guy?

It had been so long since she flirted with anyone, she couldn’t exactly be sure.

But it felt like flirting.

Claire sighed and tried to block the last ten minutes from her mind.

She wasn’t ready for any kind of relationship.

Friendship or otherwise.

She only wanted to focus on her daughter.

And forgetting about the last two years.

So, she tried to occupy her mind by picking up the newspaper across from her and immersing herself in the weekly headlines.

It seemed to work, because the next time she looked up, Owen and Barry had left. There was just Cam talking to an elderly lady who was clearly a regular.

Claire was surprised by the slight feeling of disappointment, lingering in her mind.

Maybe she had been more interested in Owen than she’d thought.

It doesn’t matter now.

He’s gone.

She pulled Summer’s stroller closer to look in on her daughter.

Who was now sleeping peacefully.

She only needed her daughter.

They were the perfect team.


	2. 5am

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being forced to run from her old life, Claire Dearing moved herself and her baby daughter to Seattle. She is determined to start a new chapter alone while trying her best to raise her daughter. But a particular firefighter, catches her eye and the world seems to want these two people together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angsty but will get better. 
> 
> I promise. 
> 
> Love to you all ❤️

She hadn’t used her alarm clock since Summer was born.

Either her baby would wake up at around four am or Claire would wake up to check and see if Summer was awake.

All of this meant that Claire was exhausted.

She couldn’t remember the last time she slept for more than two hours at a time.

Claire loved her baby more than anything else on this earth, but she wished she was a better sleeper.

Not that Claire could blame her.

The move to Seattle must have been unsettling.

Even though Summer was only three and a half months when they moved from New York.

It still seemed to disrupt her.

Her baby’s lack of sleep is exactly why Claire is walking down the sidewalk at 5am, desperately trying to lull her daughter back to sleep.

It had been three days since their visit to ‘THE LAZY CAT.’

Once that Owen guy had left, Claire asked Camilla if she would kindly let her charge her phone behind the counter. Which the kind woman was only too happy to oblige.

When her phone had enough battery on it, she finished feeding Summer and left the coffee shop only to find that it was only a fifteen-minute walk back to her apartment.

Even though she had told Owen that she wouldn’t be back there, she did really like it.

It was similar to a place Claire used to be a regular at back in New York.

The welcoming place which felt like home.

Sometimes more like home than her actual apartment.

So, as Claire Dearing wandered around the streets of Seattle at 5am, she suddenly realised she was on the same street as the coffee shop.

And the lights were on.

She couldn’t believe the place was open this early.

She walked closer to have a look and see if anyone was actually inside.

It was empty.

Except for one young man standing yawning at the counter.

Claire knew she should probably just go back down the street and home to her new apartment.

But she was tired.

And needed coffee.

And it’s not like she isn’t allowed to visit a coffee shop that is basically around the corner from where she lives.

It’s not like he’d be here at 5am.

Taking a breath, Claire quietly pushed the door to the shop open.

She took care this time not to bash the little tree which was on the other side of the door.

The man looked shocked that someone was entering ‘THE LAZY CAT’ at this time, but he quickly schooled his expression into a welcoming smile.

“Hey there.” The young man waved.

Claire smiled self-consciously.

Knowing she must look a mess running off about four hours of sleep and carrying her baby girl in her arms.

She was going to bring the stroller, but Summer prefers to be held.

It’s easier to get her to fall asleep that way.

“Hi.”

The man glanced at the clock above the store’s door and raised an eyebrow.

“Can’t sleep?”

Claire chuckled quietly, moving towards the counter.

“Actually, I can. It’s this one who seems to hate sleeping.”

The man laughed, straightening his glasses that sat on his nose.

“I can’t relate to that I’m afraid.”

Claire glanced down at her daughter who was currently looking at her with wide eyes.

“Me either.”

“Well, I guess since you’re up, can I get you a drink?”

Claire automatically ordered an americano, knowing it’s the only thing which might save her today. She gave the man a ten-dollar bill and told him to keep the change, before walking to one of the comfy red armchairs and lowering herself and Summer into it.

The sky was slowly starting to lighten outside, with a mixture of pinks and oranges painting the buildings across the street in the early dusk glow.

The young man brought her drink over to her, which she thanked him for immensely, to which he waved her off.

Claire closed her eyes for a moment.

Taking to time to relax and think about the rest of her week.

She needed to remember to call her sister or she knew Karen would most likely book a flight out here.

And she did not need that happening right now.

The shop was pleasantly warm inside, making Claire feel very sleepy. Her eyes were getting heavier and her limps started to feel like weights. So, she quickly leant forward for a sip of her coffee.

The familiar bitterness hit her tongue making her lick her lips.

She had missed coffee when she was pregnant.

The small lift she would get each morning from the caffeine was very noticeable when she stopped drinking it.

Even though she wasn’t allowed more than one a day as she is breastfeeding.

It was enough for now.

Claire put her coffee down and sunk back into the chair.

She listened to her babies’ occasional gurgles and the quiet radio playing behind the counter, enjoying the mundane sounds.

She was about to pick up a book from the nearby bookshelf, when she heard the door to the coffee shop open.

“Hey Lowery buddy, you awake still?”

Oh god.

“Barely. Why does Cam have to open so early again? It’s like she trying to punish me.”

“Yes, I do remember her saying something about having to open early because she wants to make your life a living hell.” The voice drawled sarcastically.

“Alright alright, we can’t all be as chipper as you Owen at 5 in the flipping morning.”

Shit.

Claire’s not sure what she did to be put in this situation, but she really could have done without it this morning.

“Comes with the job bud.”

Claire had luckily picked the armchair which had its back to the counter. Nobody could see her sitting there because of the high back.

All she had to do was sit here quietly until Owen left and then she could make her way back home to her apartment.

She really didn’t want to have to admit that she’d lied to him about coming back here because she couldn’t deal with any form of a commitment right now.

She also didn’t want to have to hurt his feelings a second time.

She saw the way he looked at her.

Claire has seen that look before.

Usually before some guy asked her out.

The strangest thing is, that hadn’t happened since before she was pregnant.

Usually a guy would hit on her when she was out, until they saw the stroller. Then they would excuse themselves and walk as quickly as they could in the other direction.

Yet, she was holding Summer when she’d met him.

Not to mention the fact, he didn’t even know that she was single.

Granted he did try to ask whether there was a husband in the picture, but he was still trying to flirt with her.

Wasn’t he?

Maybe she’d created this whole situation out of nothing.

Owen could have possibly have just been being friendly. Like Barry and Cam.

Oh god, was she so self-obsessed that she automatically thought he was hitting on her.

Either way, she didn’t want the awkwardness that would ensue if she saw him again.

So, she kept quiet.

However, that was the time somebody managed to drop what sounded like a handful of cups onto the shop floor, which created a loud smash waking her drifting baby.

Summer started screaming in shock.

Her face going red with dislike.

Claire quickly held her daughter to her chest and started rocking her, trying to soothe her back to sleep.

The shop fell quiet, except for the sound of heavy boots making their way towards her.

Claire hit her head against the chair as she realised what was about to happen.

“Hey there, I’m so sorry about… Claire?”

She opened her eyes to find a shocked pair of blue ones looking at her.

The same eyes she’d been thinking about for the past three days.

“Oh, Owen, right?” She said feigning ignorance.

“Yeah.” He gave her a still confused look. “You’re here early.”

Claire nodded, gesturing to the now whimpering baby in her arms.

“This one has decided she is allergic to sleeping in her bed. Likes to do it outside the apartment now.”

Owen still looked surprised, but he cracked a smile.

“Really? Got yourself an outdoor cat huh?”

Claire shook her head.

“Seems like it.”

There was an awkward silence then.

Both adults just staring at each other.

Until Owen broke it.

“Well, I’m sorry to disturb you. I seem to be at my most clumsy in the early mornings. Dropped enough cups to make a plate out of.”

“So, from six onwards, you’re as graceful as a ballerina?” She teased.

Owen chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Certainly am.”

As Owen shifted from foot to foot, Claire took in his appearance.

He looked tired.

He was still just as attractive as he was when she’d first met him.

He was wearing the same blue trousers and thick combat boots, but he had a navy thick sweater on, probably due to the early hour.

And his eyes.

They were slightly bloodshot.

Evidently from a lack of sleep.

Before Claire could even stop herself, she asked.

“Are you ok?”

Owen gave her a confused look.

“I just mean… you look tired.” She continued.

Owen seemed to relax then, like he was expecting her to say something else.

“Oh yeah, I am.” He ran a hand though his curls. “I just finished my shift, so been up for about…” He quickly glanced at his watch. “About twenty-two hours.”

Claire’s jaw dropped.

“Twenty-two hours? What’s your job? A traffic light?”

Owen threw his head back then to laugh, clutching a hand to his chest.

“Not quite.” He said softly, his eyes flickering down to Summer’s small body. “I’m a firefighter.”

Now that made sense.

He seemed like the kind of guy who would give back to his community.

Who would run into a burning building to save a cat.

It definitely suited him.

“Wow. That’s really cool Owen.”

He self-consciously scratched his neck.

“Thanks. I really love it.” He motioned to the counter. “But kind of makes me a coffee addict.”

Claire giggled, turning in her chair to see the mess he had made by dropping those cups.

“And apparently clumsy.”

Owen winced.

“Sure does.” He then took a step back. “Reminds me, I should probably help Lowery clear that up.” He gave her a small smile. “I’ll leave you in peace.”

Before Claire could object, he was walking back towards the counter.

That was… unexpected.

She’d expected him to make a comment about how she was back in the coffee shop not three days later.

Claire thought maybe he would try to talk to her again, maybe find out more about her.

He didn’t strike her as the type of person to give up without a fight.

What she hadn’t expected, was him to walk away.

Without so much as a goodbye.

She never said that she needed peace.

If anything, talking to Owen was a nice distraction from how tired she was.

Thankfully, Summer had finally drifted off to sleep on her lap.

Claire sighed, leaning her head back against the chair’s back. She could hear Owen and the barrister Lowery, talking quietly.

The last thing she heard was the door to the coffee shop open before she felt consciousness slip away.

“Claire?”

She huffed.

“Claire, wake up.”

Claire felt someone touch her shoulder gently.

“Look I know that chair is comfy, but I don’t think it’s bed material.”

Claire cracked her eyes open in confusion, taking in Owen’s face which was meters from hers.

“Hey there.”

She shot up in shock, hands instantly reaching for her baby.

But she found nothing.

Her stomach dropped.

“Summer? Where’s my baby?” She tried to stand up, ready to kill anyone who had taken her daughter.

“Whoa, Claire it’s ok.” Owen glanced down to his arms, where Summer lay sleeping peacefully.

Claire quickly took her daughter from this man she barely knew, not believing he had taken her from her sleeping arms.

“Are you insane? Who the hell do you think you are?”

Owen looked hurt.

He quickly retreated from his close position to her chair.

“I-I was..”

“What gives you the right to touch my daughter without me knowing.”

Claire couldn’t see past the vulnerability she had shown him, falling asleep wasn’t part of her plan but she definitely didn’t want some guy seeing her like that.

“I didn’t mean…”

“You could be anyone, I don’t know you.” Claire spat, holding her daughter close to her chest, revelling in the familiar weight. “What are you even still doing here? Are you stalking me? Were you watching me sleep like some creep?” She seethed quietly, taking notice of the light pouring in from the window, indicating that the morning was well and truly in full swing.

Owen looked taken a back. His eyes furrowed in quiet anger.

“Look, I wasn’t stalking you.” He replied calmly. “If you must know, I actually live upstairs. And when I noticed you’d fallen asleep, I thought it was best to wake you just in case someone tried to take your purse or something.” He glanced around at the two tables which were occupied by customers.

“I only picked up your daughter because I was scared when I woke you, you would be disorientated, and I didn’t want her to wake up.”

Claire felt her shock beginning to fade but she still felt embarrassed at falling asleep with her daughter sleeping on her lap.

“I’m sorry if I scared you but I was just trying to help.”

Owen looked very angry; his words spoke quietly but cutting through her.

It made Claire wonder whether she had reacted too harshly, but she wasn’t about to admit that to him.

“Well next time, don’t.”

She wasn’t sure why she said that.

It wasn’t what she wanted to say.

She just felt too exposed.

It seemed that her comment had done to trick to push Owen off the fence.

His eyes hardened as he picked up his phone which lay on Claire’s table.

No doubt he had put it down there when he was picking up her daughter.

“Gladly.” He sniped. “I hope you have a good day.”

He turned around and headed towards a staircase behind the coffee counter. Claire heard him slam a door upstairs as he reached the top.

Claire huffed, still feeling the effects of being woken up by a near enough stranger holding her baby.

How dare he.

She decided that coming here had been a bad idea and she should have just gone home after her walk.

While coming to that realisation, Claire began getting ready to leave. She made sure her daughter was wrapped up warm enough in the blanket she was snuggled in, then she grabbed her purse from the floor next to her and made her way towards the door.

As Claire reached the counter on her way to the exit, the young man who had served her earlier, smiled in greeting.

“Hey, enjoy the coffee?”

Claire gave a nervous smile, not knowing if he had overheard her argument with Owen.

“It was lovely thank you.”

Lowery grinned as he dried a coffee cup with an old towel.

“Oh good. Owen mentioned that you were new around here.” Claire inwardly cringed a little as the man mentioned Owen. “Where’d you move from?”

Even though Claire knew Lowery was just being friendly, she really wasn’t in the mood to discuss the past.

“New York.” She replied with a tight-lipped smile.

“Woah, that’s awesome. I’ve only been once myself. Loved it though.” His eyes went wide with wonder, leaning forward slightly in excitement. “I went for this comic convention; it was so cool.”

Claire gave a polite smile.

“It’s a very intense place.”

Lowery was clearly about to say more but before he could, Claire went on.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve got to get my daughter home to bed.”

Lowery didn’t seem bothered by her departure, simply waving her on.

“That’s fine. My mom said I could talk for England.”

Claire turned to leave but was stopped again.

“Oh, before you go. I don’t know where Owen went but he was meant to give these to you.”

Claire turned back around in surprise.

“Give me what?”

Lowery presented two small books from behind the counter, sliding over towards her hands.

“They’re his Seattle Guide books. Told me he got them when he moved here. Said they really helped him find his way around.”

Claire looked over the books.

One said ‘Pocket Seattle’ on the front, in blue and red writing. Whereas the other one read ‘Seattle City Map.’

“He wanted me to have these?”

Lowery nodded.

“I thought it was slightly strange. He mentioned you met the other day and now he’s trying to give you his books.” Lowery shrugged. “That’s just the kind of guy he is. Disgustingly nice.” He chuckled.

She slowly took the books from the counter, feeling slightly sick to her stomach.

She felt awful.

“I don’t know why he didn’t hang around, seeing as he’s been waiting down here for you to wake up.”

Her eyes shot to his.

“What?”

Lowery seemed to take her reaction as embassasment that she’d been caught sleeping in the coffee house.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. You have no idea of the amount of people I’ve watched sleep in this shop.” Lowery placed the cup he was holding back on the shelf behind him.

Claire ignored his response.

“You said he was waiting?”

“Oh yeah. I think he was nervous someone might try and bother you. Even though I told him that was dumb. So, he sat there” he pointed to a table by the door “waited for you to wake up. Then he was gonna give these to you.”

Claire swallowed tightly.

“That was… nice of him.”

Lowery nodded.

“He’s insane as well, seeing as he hasn’t slept in about a day. Sometimes I think he loses brain cells wearing those helmets.” He laughed, turning towards a man who had just entered the shop.

“Anyway” the young guy continued. “I’m sure he’ll be around here sometime if you wanted to return the books. You know living upstairs and all.” Lowery then turned away from her and moved down the counter. “Hey Brian, the usual?”

Claire didn’t even look up as she exited the shop.

She moved Summer so she was laying against her shoulder, letting her see the now well-lit street.

Claire felt horrible.

She was clearly a monster of a human being.

The guy was a firefighter for god sake.

Literally an on-earth angel and she had shouted at him like he was a criminal.

Not to mention the fact he had watched over her while she slept, making sure no one tried anything.

She hadn’t even given him a chance to explain.

He was just trying to be nice and Claire had as per usual messed everything up.

That’s what George had always said to her. That she would make everything so dramatic.

She could go back to the shop tomorrow and apologise. Maybe wait until Owen got back from his shift and try and explain herself.

Explain that she hadn’t always been this way and that she really appreciated that he was just trying to help her out.

He might appreciate it.

Most likely though, he’ll still be hurt and her turning up will only make things worse. Then she’ll say something which will do more harm than good because apparently now, Claire Dearing can’t even talk to another man without making them hate her.

Yeah. She was never going back to that shop again.

She meant it this time.


	3. Don't drink after dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being forced to run from her old life, Claire Dearing moved herself and her baby daughter to Seattle. She is determined to start a new chapter alone while trying her best to raise her daughter. But a particular firefighter, catches her eye and the world seems to want these two people together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small glimpse into Claire's backstory. 
> 
> Slightly dark chapter with a brighter ending.

_“Where have you been?”_

_She jumped at the anger in his voice._

_“Oh hi. I was with a girlfriend.”_

_Claire hung up her coat next to the door and began to unbuckle her boots._

_“Until eleven?”_

_She tried to focus all her attention on slipping her boot off her foot, but she couldn’t help the slight tremor in her hands._

_“Yeah, Alex wanted to try out this new bar around the corner from work so Josie suggested we..”_

_“Who’s Alex?”_

_Claire felt him bend down, so his face was inches from hers._

_Her hands tightened on her boot, keeping her head firmly towards the floor._

_“My friend George. It’s short for Alexandra.” She replied quietly._

_George scoffed but stood back up._

_“You didn’t tell me.”_

_“I did try to call you, but you didn’t answer.”_

_Claire finally got the courage to stand up, pulling down her black bodycon dress from where it had ridden up._

_“And you wore this dress?”_

_George gave her a once over, the disapproval evident on his face._

_“Yeah but I did wear my coat most of the time.”_

_Claire kicked herself for being so weak, but she was really tired. She just wanted to take her makeup off and go to bed._

_“Good. No one wants to date a slut hunny.”_

_George then grabbed her waist and wrapped both his arms tightly around her lower back._

_Claire ignored his comment._

_Don’t bite._

_“Aren’t you going to kiss me?” He asked her, running a hand over her ass._

_Her whole body stiffened slightly._

_She prayed he hadn’t noticed._

_Claire leant forward to kiss him quickly on the lips but once she’d made contact, George held her face firmly in place._

_She let him kiss her deeply, her stomach feeling uneasy as he groped her behind._

_When they broke apart, Claire went to move but George still held onto her._

_“I think I need you to make it up to me.”_

_He smirked._

_“George, I’m really tired. Can we just…”_

_He slapped her._

_She froze._

_Her face now facing towards the bedroom._

_The pain didn’t hit her instantly._

_Then it slowly crept in. The stinging she had become so used to._

_“Oh Hunny, why do you always have to make me mad.” George turned her head back to him. “I never want to do that, but you always make me angry.”_

_Tears welled up in her eyes._

_Her throat feeling tight._

_“What do you say Hunny?”_

_Claire stared at his chest, refusing to meet his gaze._

_“I’m… sorry.”_

_A tear ran down her cheek._

_“Thank you.”_

_George took her hand and began walking towards the bedroom._

_“Now, let’s get this dress off you huh?”_

_Her stomach recoiled at his words, bile rising in her throat._

_She couldn’t breathe._

_Her mind began counting down the days until she was free._

Claire jolted awake.

Her heart racing.

She looked to her left to where her baby slept, wondering if Summer had been crying.

However, her daughter was still asleep on her stomach. Claire always slept with her baby in the bed since moving to Seattle. She enjoyed the closeness and knows Summer did to.

Her little girl was protected by two large pillows on either side of her to stop her rolling off the bed.

Realising that Summer hadn’t woken her up, Claire looked around the room again.

That’s when she heard it.

The fire alarm was blaring loudly.

Fear flared in her chest, waiting for a few seconds to check it wasn’t just a fire drill.

But the noise didn’t stop, which meant this was a real fire.

Claire sprang into action.

She grabbed a blanket from Summer’s cot at the end of her double bed and quickly pulled on her slippers.

She grabbed an old sweater out of her closet and threw it on. Once she had it over her head, Claire ran to pick up her baby.

Summer was beginning to object to the loud noise which had roused her from her sleep.

Claire carefully picked her up and made quick work to wrap her in the blanket she'd grabbed.

Her baby began to wine, throwing her hands out to grab her mother’s hair.

“It’s ok baby. Everything’s going to be ok.” Claire hushed soothingly.

They made their way towards the front door as Claire checked to make sure it wasn’t her kitchen that had started the fire.

Her apartment was quiet.

Once they’d reached the door, she noticed there was no smoke coming under the door so she assumed the fire wasn’t on her floor.

Claire opened the front door to find her young neighbour who she hadn’t formally met yet that lived across the hall, pulling on a coat.

“Hey.” The girl waved as she pulled her front door closed.

Claire quickly grabbed her keys off the hook next to the door, before pulling it closed.

“Hey.” Claire started walking down the corridor with her. “Do you know what’s going on? Did you hear anything.”

The girl shook her head.

“No. I heard the alarm a few minutes ago but thought it was just a drill. They happen sometimes.”

Claire noticed the woman had a strong Irish accent.

“Have you lived here long?”

They had reached the stairwell now, the Irish woman opening the door for Claire and Summer.

“Three years.”

They hastily made their way down the stairs. The Dearing’s lived on the fourth floor so luckily the walk wasn’t too long.

Summer was now fully crying, her face turning red in anger.

“Shhh baby I know, I’m sorry.” Claire rocked her frustrated daughter as they continued to descend the stairs.

Her neighbour was a couple of steps behind them. Her green duffle coat making a rustling noise with every step she took.

“It must be scary for her. Poor baby.” She uttered behind Claire.

“I think she just doesn’t like the cold.” The redhead replied, reaching the back exit for the apartment block.

“Me and her both.”

Claire pushed the bar to open the emergency exit holding it open for her neighbour to walk through.

“Tah.” She replied.

As they walked outside, both of the women were greeted by a cold breeze. They could still hear the alarm blaring throughout the corridors.

The street was busy outside the building.

There were dozens of people standing around in their pyjamas. A few people were also exiting the building behind Claire, looking extremely bewildered.

More people seemed to be walking to the front of the building from the other side.

The two women joined the group standing on the sidewalk, jumping slightly in the cold morning air.

Claire didn’t even know what time it was as she didn’t have her phone.

She turned to her neighbour then noticing she had a watch. Yet, she realised she didn’t even know the girls name.

“Hey sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” Claire asked politely.

The girl smiled widely, offering her a hand.

“I’m Zara. I guess we should be on a first name basis seeing as we are neighbours now.”

Claire smiled, accepting her hand. It was difficult as she had to rearrange Summer who had luckily stopped crying but was now squirming.

“Claire.”

Zara returned the smile, moving her eyes to Claire’s baby.

“And who is this little lady?”

“This is Summer.” Claire held her up higher, so she was in Zara’s eyeline. “She’s usually a lot more sociable when it’s not this early.”

Zara giggled as she made a face at the baby.

“Speaking of, do you happen to have the time?”

“Oh yeah.” Zara pulled her watch up to her face, squinting slightly. Claire assumed the young woman usually wore glasses. “It’s 3am.”

Claire sighed.

She was never going to get Summer back to sleep after this.

“Thanks.”

“I wonder what happened?” Claire’s new acquaintance asked.

Just at that moment, everyone in the street turned in the direction of two large red and white fire trucks barrelling towards them.

A few people who were standing in their way, quickly moved closer to the building.

The trucks came to an abrupt halt a few metres away from the crowd.

Claire kissed the top of her daughter’s head, trying to comfort her. She pulled the blanket up, higher above her neck. The last thing she needed was a sick baby.

“This is all very dramatic.” Zara whispered, as they watched eight or nine firemen climb off the trucks and begin to grab equipment from inside.

“Not your average Tuesday.” Claire replied.

The men made quick work of gathering everything they needed, before turning their attention to the crowd surrounding the building.

One larger man stepped forward.

He had hair which was surely turning grey with a beard to match. He was very tall but also wide, like he really enjoyed a beer after work. He was also the only one of the men not wearing a helmet.

“Alright folks, if everyone could take a few steps towards me that would be great.” The man bellowed, urging everyone with his hands to move.

The crowd complied.

Claire made sure she stayed close to Zara, moving next to her as they migrated away from the building.

Now she’d found an ally, she wasn’t about to throw that away.

Claire could hear the same man that had told them to move, also shouting orders at the other men.

He must be the chief.

“Rodriguez, you and Webb take the east stairwell.” Claire heard the man shout.

Two uniforms took off jogging around the side of the building while three others headed towards the stairwell Claire had run down.

“Grady, you and Barry take the front of the building.”

Grady?

How could she have forgotten.

Claire whirled around, eyes scanning for the man who had plagued her thoughts for the past month.

She had kept her word and hadn’t been back to ‘The Lazy Cat’ for five weeks.

Which means she hadn’t accidentally bumped into Owen for five weeks.

That didn’t mean she hadn’t thought about him.

Claire had made herself a promise that she was done with men.

Making an oath that it would be her and Summer for the rest of her life, not needing a man’s presence.

She definetly didn’t plan to feel guilty for being so rude to a random guy who had been kind to her.

Especially not thinking about them after only meeting twice.

So, as she heard his name called from the fire truck a few yards away, Claire was desparate for a glimpse of him.

How stupid had she been to not even expect him to show up.

He told her he was a fireman.

Of course, he’d be here tonight.

Claire had to squint slightly to try and narrow down where the chief’s voice had come from, but then she saw him.

He was standing next to the front of the fire truck with the visor to his helmet up. Claire suddenly realised that Barry was standing next to him, grabbing a long axe from the side of the truck.

He looked so good.

She couldn’t help but take in his physique.

The dark brown trousers and jacket didn’t hide how toned he looked. The hair on his face looked a little bit longer and Claire found herself liking it.

“There’s something about a man in uniform hey Claire.”

Zara’s Irish voice broke through Claire’s thoughts.

She turned to look at her and found her gaze staring at Owen and Barry, obviously having followed Claire’s.

The redhead blushed and tried to pretend to fuss over Summer.

“I guess.”

“Ok let’s go people.” The chief shouted to his team.

Claire watched as Owen and Barry walked briskly to the front doors of the building. For some reason, she found herself worrying about the fact Owen was walking into a possible burning building.

Why did she care so much?

Yes, he’d been very kind to her and had looked out for her safety once. But it’s not like she really knows the guy.

For all she knows Owen Grady could be a bad person.

Just like…

No.

Not all guys are bad.

Not all guys are like him.

About fifteen minutes passed before any of the officers emerged from her building.

Zara tried to make polite conversation, but Claire was only half listening. Her eyes would flicker from the building to the front doors to Summer and then back to the building.

There was still no fire visible through the windows, so Claire felt slightly more relaxed at that, but what was taking him so long.

Finally, the two officers who had gone around the left side of the building emerged helping an older lady walk.

Then Claire saw the main doors to the building fly open as three more firemen exited the building.

Claire couldn’t tell if one of them was Owen due to their helmets, but she noticed that one of them was carrying a small black cat.

“Oh my god, is that a cat?” Zara exclaimed in awe.

“I think so.”

“That is so cute.”

Claire kept moving from side to side, as more people tried to see what was going on in the building.

One of the trucks started beeping as it began reversing down the opposite side of the building. It looked like one officer was operating a ladder attached to the top of the vehicle.

Suddenly, the doors of the building flew open again as two more officers strolled out. They were carrying a middle-aged man who was unconscious. Claire wasn’t sure how, but she knew one of the firemen was Owen.

It must have been his height.

Or his build.

But she knew it was him.

They instantly made their way over to the paramedics who were hurrying towards them with a stretcher.

“Shit.” Zara muttered. “Poor guy.”

Claire hummed in agreement. She felt Summer start to squirm again, who had been sleeping peacefully on her shoulder for the last ten minutes.

“It’s ok baby. Not too much longer.”

A cold breeze ran over Claire making her shudder.

She really should have grabbed something warmer than this old sweater. Not to mention the fact her thin pyjama pants weren’t doing anything to keep out the cold.

Everyone around them seemed to get agitated, all wanting to return to their warm beds inside.

One man walked over to the fire truck; Claire listened as he began demanding to know when they could go back inside.

The man’s rants were overpowered by the fire hoses turning on around the corner. Loud blasts of water hitting brick filled the air.

It seemed to startle Summer who began screaming against Claire’s chest. Her cries carrying over the crowd.

Everyone turned in Claire’s direction, looking at her with pitying eyes. They obviously hadn’t noticed that a baby had been brought out to stand in the cold.

She also caught the attention of the fire staff.

One officer began walking towards the crowd.

“It shouldn’t be too much longer everyone. Thank you for your patience.”

Claire stepped back away from where everyone was standing, trying to calm her daughter down.

She could hear all the questions the people were throwing at the poor fireman. She walked towards where one of the fire trucks were parked, rocking Summer gently whilst also trying to stay warm.

“I know this sucks babygirl. But I promise we will be home soon.” She listened to her cries turn to quiet whimpers. “Then you can sleep as much as you’d like.”

“Claire?”

Shit.

She looked to her left to find Owen standing there.

He had one arm hanging around his helmet, shock written all over his face.

She also noticed that his brown jacket with the yellow stripe across it, was open.

“Hey.”

She gave a pathetic wave with her free hand.

Owen’s face was still frozen in slight disbelief.

He didn’t exactly look pleased to see her, but she couldn’t blame him. After last time, he probably thought she was some train wreck of a woman.

“Are you stalking me now?” He finally asked, a small smirk gracing his lips.

She deserved that.

“I’m afraid not. I actually live here.” She nodded to the building.

His eyes softened in gentle understanding.

Silence fell between the two. Only the sound of people talking and water spraying surrounding them.

Claire wanted to apologise.

She owed him that.

He was just trying to be kind last time and she had made him feel like a criminal.

Making the decision, she opened her mouth, but Owen beat her to it.

“Are you ok?”

Her mouth fell closed.

That’s not what she was expecting him to ask.

Normal guys would have brought up the fact she’d accused him of stalking her the last time they met.

Or maybe just walked in the other direction.

But asking if she was ok?

Was she?

Apart from the fact she hadn’t spoken to another human since that morning in the coffee shop. Too afraid to leave her apartment just in case George was following her and she would run into him on the street.

Now she was cold and exhausted and just wanted to go back into her apartment and curl up under her duvet with her baby.

No, she wasn’t ok.

“Not really.”

She deflated, leaning back against the truck behind her.

Owen seemed surprised by her response.

Probably expecting her to say she was fine.

He walked closer to the mother and daughter, dropping his helmet into the open side of the fire truck.

“Are you hurt?”

His concerned gaze ran over her body, making Claire shiver for a completely different reason than being cold.

“No, I’m not hurt,” physically anyway. “I’m just tired.”

She tried to smile at him, but it just came out as a grimace. To make things worse, another icy breeze slept over her, flowing through her entire body making her shiver.

“Are you cold? You must be freezing in that.” Owen’s concerned voice enquired softly, taking in her thread bare sweater.

Usually Claire would have gotten her hackles up at someone referring to her appearance, but she was honestly too exhausted to bite back.

“A little bit,” she nodded.

Owen started jogging away, running around to the other side of the truck.

Claire assumed he’d had enough of the conversation and he’d decided to get ready to leave and wait in the truck. However, he surprised her yet again.

When he returned, he was holding a navy-blue sweater which looked incredibly warm. He held it out gently, a sheepish smile on his face.

“Here.”

Claire looked at him in confusion.

“It’s mine,” running a nervous hand through his hair. “I’m usually cold on the ride back to the station so I tend to throw this on under my jacket. You know, adrenaline wears off pretty quick when you’re sitting down.”

She just stood there, leaning against the fire truck, staring at the sweater in his hand.

Her disbelief evident on her face.

“I..I can’t take that. I’ll be ok honestly…”

“Please Claire. Just wear it until you go back inside if you want.” Owen begged. “I can’t stand here and watch you freeze.”

He firmly shoved the sweater towards her this time which seemed to do the job. Claire held out her free hand which wasn’t cradling Summer to take it from him.

“Thank you, Owen.” She smiled shyly. “I’ll make sure you have it back when I can go back inside.”

He shrugged.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Now she held the sweater, the issues would be putting it on.

With Summer’s weight in her arms and nowhere to put her down, she wasn’t sure how she was meant to pull it over her head.

Then her eyes flickered to the man standing next to her.

Maybe that would be a good peace offering.

“Um Owen…”

He cocked his head.

“Could you maybe...?”

She held out her daughter who was snuggled in the blanket, indicating for him to take her.

Owen looked at Summer.

“You sure?” Fear flickering in his eyes.

He was obviously thinking back to the last time he’d held her. Remembering Claire’s reaction.

“I promise not to yell at you this time.” Her eyes gleaming with humour.

Owen seemed to find this amusing, taking another step closer to her.

“You are very scary when you yell.”

He gently bent down to lift Summer out of Claire’s arms. His hand instantly going under her bottom to support her.

Claire thought she would feel uneasy, watching a man hold her daughter. Yet surprisingly, she knew that Summer was safe in Owen’s arms.

She also had to admit that her arms were becoming incredibly sore, holding her daughter for so long standing up.

“I’ve been told.” Claire muttered as she lifted her sore arms to slip Owen’s sweater on. She was overwhelmed as his smell engulfed her.

A peppery smell with the slight hint of lemon.

She could easily become addicted to that smell.

“Hey babygirl.” Owen cooed at her daughter, her blue eyes opening to take in his face. “Are you cold too? Must suck to be woken up huh?”

Once Claire had smoothed down his sweater, she spent a few seconds just watching Owen with her daughter.

“You have the cutest smile. But I bet you know that don’t ya.” Owen smiled widely down at Summer; his eyes transfixed on the tiny human.

Her tiny hand came up to grab one of Owen’s fingers.

Claire tried to smother her smile with her hand.

“She really does love your fingers.”

Owen threw a fake glare at her.

“You’re not gonna let me forget that are you?”

A giggle escaped her, his face brightening at the sound.

“Nope.”

The distant noise of the water hoses turning off interrupted the couple’s conversation.

The air was suddenly filled with silence.

Only the crowd’s quiet debates blowing through the morning wind.

“What happened exactly?” Claire asked, nodding her head towards the building.

“We’re not one hundred percent sure, but we think some guy got drunk while cooking something in the kitchen. Must have left the gas on which somehow managed to set a towel on fire. That then set off the smoke alarm.”

Owen explained all this while rocking Summer in his arms, never taking his eyes off her small face peeking out of the blanket.

“Luckily the fire was contained to the kitchen for the most part, but it had started to spread around the rest of the apartment when we got there. The guy was unconscious when Barry and I got to him. Inhaled too much smoke.”

“Is he going to be ok?”

It was weird to think someone in her building could have died. A few floors above where she was sleeping.

“Yeah. He’ll be good to go in a couple of days.” Owen looked back towards the building as his chief started yelling commands again. “Hopefully he’ll lay off the drink in future.”

Claire nodded in agreement.

George had liked to drink too.

That was her least favourite version of him.

“Anyway, we better get you two back inside. It’s too early and cold to be standing on the street for too much longer.”

Owen walked forward and waited for Claire to join him.

“Are you sure we can?”

He nodded as they grew closer to the group of people still standing on the patch of grass in front of the building’s main doors.

“Yeah, because there was no smoke, you’re good to go.”

She must have given a nervous look towards the apartment block because Owen moved to stand in front of her.

“Hey, it’s ok now. It’s totally safe inside. Barry and I did a scope.” He winked at her, trying to ease her nerves.

Claire did feel slightly better knowing Owen had looked around the building himself.

“I’m sorry. You must be needed over there with your team. We’ve kept you far too long.”

She glanced down at the floor embarrassed by her display of concern, also very aware that Owen hadn’t asked for her to take Summer back.

He seemed to like holding her.

Like it bought him peace.

“Nah, they don’t need me.” Owen turned back around to face the crowd of people now slowly shuffling back towards the building. “I wasn’t even meant to be working this shift, was covering for a buddy of mine.”

“I’m glad you were.”

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Her face instantly heated up as she realised what she’d said.

He turned back around to look at her, a boyish smile painted across his face.

“Yeah?”

Claire cleared her throat, not knowing how to respond.

“Claire?”

Zara popped out from behind a family of four, her eyes searching for the redhead. “There you are. I was wondering if you’d already gone back up.”

“Sorry Zara, I um… bumped into a… friend.” Claire stumbled over her words as she gestured towards Owen.

Zara’s eyes ran over Owen from head to toe, noticing Summer snuggled in his arms.

“Hi.” She smiled widely. “I’m Zara. I live opposite Claire.”

Claire wasn’t sure what about Zara’s introduction made her uncomfortable, but Claire felt her stomach tighten with something.

“Owen. Nice to meet you.” Owen replied back, offering his hand in greeting.

Zara stepped forward gracefully, her hand sliding into his.

“I have to say, I feel a whole of a lot safer knowing someone like you is putting fires out around the city.” Her hand staying in Owen’s a few seconds longer than necessary.

There it was again.

That heaviness in her stomach, coiling up inside her, begging to be let out.

Zara even winked at him as she let go of his hand.

Oh.

Claire Dearing was jealous.

Of a man she had no claim to.

Even though the fact he was holding her baby should count for something.

“Well, thanks.” Owen replied awkwardly. Putting some space between them, much to Claire’s delight. “I better get back, you know, putting out fires and all.”

“Of course. It was lovely to meet you Owen.” She dragged out his name in a kind of purr.

Owen stepped around her, so he was standing in front of Claire. He looked unsure for a moment, like he’d been caught doing something wrong.

Claire wasn’t focussed on Owen though; she was still staring sharply at Zara’s back.

Why, was beyond her.

“I believe I have something that belongs to you.” He whispered.

Claire tore her gaze away from her neighbour, chuffing a laugh as he held Summer away from his chest.

“So, you do.”

She gently took her baby from his arms, noticing how strong they felt under her hands as she lifted Summer out of them.

Her daughter gave a small whine in protest, not that Claire could blame her.

“Thanks for the help.” She smiled shyly, reaching up to tuck her untamed red hair behind her ears.

“Anytime,” he replied, before frowning. “But maybe not at this exact time again.”

“Yeah, it is slightly earlier than I’d like.”

“Yo Owen. You are coming?” Barry shouted from across the other side of the street. Claire’s back was to him, so he clearly hadn’t recognised her from that day in the café.

“I better go before Barry misses me too much. He’s very sensitive that guy.” He tried to keep a straight face while talking, but Claire would see the humour in his eyes.

“He did seem like the sensitive type.” She teased.

Owen ran a hand through his hair, looking down at his jacket nervously.

“I don’t suppose you’d want to get a drink sometime. Coffee or something?”

Claire raised an eyebrow at him.

He seemed to catch on.

“Ironic I know. But maybe somewhere other than ‘The Lazy Cat.’”

Claire glanced over at where Zara had been standing, glad to know the woman was waiting for her inside to lobby of the building.

“Owen… I don’t really know.”

“Look, I know that we haven’t had the best track record in meeting. But it’s just coffee. No pressure.”

She took a deep breath.

“I’m just looking for anything serious right now.”

Owen didn’t seem too phrased by her comment.

“It’s just coffee. You, me and Summer.”

Her eyes widen in surprise.

“You want me to bring Summer?”

Owen smiled brightly, reaching forward to run a hand over her baby’s blonde curls.

“Of course. Miss Summer Day is always welcome.”

“Summer Day?”

He smirked.

“Just trying something out. Suits her.”

Claire bit her lip.

“Ok. Just coffee.”

He put his hands on his hips as he gazed at her.

“Just coffee.”


	4. Not A Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being forced to run from her old life, Claire Dearing moved herself and her baby daughter to Seattle. She is determined to start a new chapter alone while trying her best to raise her daughter. But a particular firefighter, catches her eye and the world seems to want these two people together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep the comments coming!
> 
> Stay well
> 
> ❤️

“This place is nice.” 

“Yeah?”

“It’s very cute.” 

Claire reached forward for a menu on the table.

“I’ve been coming here for about two years now. They do the best pancakes in Seattle.” 

Owen sat back in the booth opposite Claire, draping an arm over the back of the couch.

“Have you tried all the pancakes in Seattle?” She enquired, looking up from her menu to raise an eyebrow. 

Owen rolled his eyes. 

“No, but they’re just that good.” 

She smiled indulgently at him before glancing across the plastic menu in front of her. 

Claire had given Owen her number that night outside her apartment. After they’d agreed to coffee, Claire had recited her recently new number to Owen, who grabbed his cell phone from the truck. 

Owen promised to text her with a place when he got home. 

They’d then parted ways. 

Owen was needed to help wrap things up with the fire squad and Claire needed to get Summer back upstairs in the warm. 

Zara had waited patiently for Claire inside the building’s small lobby and greeted the red head as she pushed open the front doors. 

“Claire, who is the hottie? What’s his story?” Zara’s Irish accent had greeted her as she began walking towards the main stairwell. 

“Who Owen?” Claire had feigned disinterest. 

“Uh, yeah. Tall, curly hair, with eyes I could swim in?” 

Claire threw her eyes up to the sky as she started on the bottom few steps ahead of Zara. 

“Oh, he’s just this guy I’ve seen around a few times.” 

Zara had run quickly up the stairs to catch up to her, trying to find out all possible information Claire had on Owen. 

“Does he live around here?” 

Claire had glanced down to check Summer was still dozing against her arm. 

“I think so,” she replied, revealing very little information. “I really don’t know him that well.” 

As they reached their floor, Claire flung open the hallway door with a little more force than necessary. 

“So, you two aren’t… you know?” 

Claire stopped. 

“Aren’t what?” She asked, turning to face her neighbour.

The dark headed beauty gave her a smirk. 

“Together.” 

Claire barked out a laugh. 

“Absolutely not.” 

Claire turned to keep walking towards the safety of her apartment door. 

“Really? Because there kind of seemed to be some tension between you two and I-”

“Zara,” she turned around again. “I’m very tired and I would love to talk about this some other time but-”

“Would you mind introducing us sometime?” Zara cut her off. 

Claire gave a surprised look. 

“Oh, I don’t know if that-”

“I’ll owe you one. And I haven’t been on a date in like four months and could really do with getting out there-”

“Zara I really don’t know him well enough to-”

The Irish woman stepped forward.

“Please. I’m not passing up a chance with a guy like that.”   
Claire let out a sigh. 

She really didn’t want to get involved in this. 

More importantly, she really didn’t want Owen going on a date with this young brunette. 

Even though she would never admit that to herself. 

Maybe this is a good thing. 

This could stop a potential disaster with Owen if she just introduces the two of them. 

She will avoid getting into something she’s not ready for and hopefully make the inappropriate thoughts about Owen Grady stop. 

They could just be… friends?

“I’ll uh… see what I can do,” she smiled kindly at the girl.

Zara’s face broke out into a wide grin. 

“I owe you one Claire. Thank you.” 

Claire still couldn’t believe she’d agreed to that. 

Trying to set up two people she’d only recently met. She wasn’t even sure she was technically friends with either of them. 

She blames the lack of sleep and the cold for her stupid decision that night.

“Are you hungry?” Claire was broken from her thoughts by Owen’s smooth voice. “I know we said just coffee, but I’m starving.” 

She rolled her eyes trying not to smile. 

“If you’re hungry Owen get food. It is breakfast after all.” 

Owen jiggled excitedly signalling the waitress who was serving the booth behind them. 

“So, are you?” He repeated, his eyes watching her face. 

“Am I..?”

“Hungry?” He explained. 

Seeing as it was nine AM and Claire had been up since three, she was positively starving. Her stomach had started growling as soon as they’d walked into the café. 

Claire didn’t like eating in front of people though. 

Not since being with George anyway. 

He’d always make comments when she’d ordered something vaguely unhealthy. Comments like “do you really need that hunny?”

It annoyed her to no end that she was still worrying about things he’d said to her. He was gone and yet he was still controlling her life. 

“I’m good.” She replied out of habit. 

Owen gave her a disapproving look. 

“Have you eaten yet?” 

Claire avoided his gaze by reaching over for Summer who was sitting in her stroller next to Claire’s side of the booth. 

“Yes.” 

“What did you have,” Owen asked, disbelieving. 

“I had… a banana,” thinking of the only thing she actually had in her fruit bowl right now. 

Owen’s eyes widened in horror. 

“That’s not a meal. That’s barely a snack.” 

If Claire wasn’t so self-conscious, she’d be laughing at how serious he was taking her eating a banana for breakfast. 

“I happen to love bananas,” Claire snapped, going quiet as a young waitress approached their table. 

“Owen! It’s so good to see you.” The petite blonde smiled, taking her notepad out of her back pocket.

“Natasha.” Owen smiled back. “How have you been?” 

The girl looked absolutely thrilled, having been asked a question. 

“Busy. Between this place and college, it’s been a hell of a month.” Natasha put her hand on Owen’s side of the table, angling her body towards him. 

Claire was trying desperately hard not to roll her eyes.

The girl’s motives were obvious. 

“I can imagine the workload is tough.” Owen replied politely, inching casually along the booth away from the girl. 

Claire was confused.

This was the second time Owen had blatantly ignored a woman who was obviously trying to flirt with him. 

First Zara.

Now this Natasha girl. Who he clearly knows already.

Didn’t all men love the extra attention. 

All of them desperate to sleep with any woman who batted their eyelashes at them. 

George used to love making Claire uncomfortable by flirting with any woman who showed him attention. He’d watch to see her reaction, hoping for a rise out of her.

She never gave him one though. 

“It’s overwhelming sometimes. But you know, college is expensive, and I need the extra cash,” Natasha explained, completely ignoring Claire’s presence. “Heck, I only took this shift because I’m broke.” 

Owen seemed to be doing his best to listen, but Claire saw his eyes keep flickering to her. 

He was pleading for an interruption. 

Claire smothered a smile behind her hand, before coughing gently. 

The blonde turned her attention for the first time to Claire and Summer. Her eyes seemed to widen slightly as she took in Summer who was sitting in Claire’s arms.

“Hello, could I order a coffee please.” Claire asked in a sickly-sweet voice. 

“Of course.” Natasha replied, smiling tightly. “What a cute baby you’ve got there.” The grimace on her face telling Claire the compliant was less than genuine.

“Thanks.” She replied anyway, making sure to smile widely. “What did you want again babe?” 

Claire turned her attention to Owen, watching as his jaw fell open slightly.

“Me?”

Claire internally rolled her eyes at his lack of understanding. Hoping he’d catch on soon.

“Yes baby, I don’t see anyone else around here,” she giggled in Owen’s direction, his blue eyes widening to the size of saucepans. “Men hey.” Claire puffed a breath, leaning slightly towards Natasha, who’s face had fallen. 

“Yeah.” She shrugged. 

Natasha proceeded to take Owen’s order once he’d regained cognate function. He asked for one plate of blueberry pancakes and one chocolate one. 

When Claire had raised an eyebrow at him, he’d simply shrugged and said he was very hungry. 

Natasha had made a speedy exit after that, her cheeks a deep shade or red with a scowl furrowing her eyebrows. 

“What was that?” 

Claire cocked her head to the side.

“What was what?” 

Owen spluttered. 

“That!” He pointed to where Natasha was just standing. “You know, the whole babe thing.” 

Claire rolled her eyes.

“I was just trying to save you. You kept giving me the look.” 

He sat forward in his seat.

“What look.” 

“The ‘help me, this attractive girl is hitting on me and I am scared’ look.” 

Owen’s mouth opened again but no words came out. He sat back and threw an arm over the back of the booth. 

“I see.” 

Claire narrowed her voice at his tone. 

“What?” 

He shook his head.

“Oh nothing,” he replied, smirking. 

“Owen.” 

He sighed.

“It’s just, you didn’t have to help me. You could have just let her hit on me. Seems to me that you didn’t like it either.” 

It was Claire’s turn to gape like a fish, her cheeks warming. 

How dare he confront her like that. 

Who does that?

“That’s… that is not what happened. I…” 

“It’s ok Claire, I get it. It’s hard to resist these.” Owen put his arms up, flexing his muscles under the skin-tight black tee he was wearing. 

Claire couldn’t help but appreciate the way his arms looked surrounded by that black material. 

Her eyes quickly lowering to her baby.

“You’re delusional.” She huffed. 

She heard Owen chuckle, just as Natasha came back with a pot of coffee. 

“Here’s the coffee.” The pot was placed in the middle of the table between them. “And your pancakes will be right up Owen.” 

Claire saw out of the corner of her eye that Natasha had winked at him.

How desperate could girls be?

Claire would never dream of being that forward with a guy. Especially if his girlfriend was sitting across from him.

Well, fake girlfriend. 

“Thank you, Natasha.” Owen smiled. 

The blonde then left, allowing Claire to relax slightly. 

She would not admit to herself that seeing someone flirt with this man was stressing her out. 

It definitely wasn’t.

“I didn’t think she would be here today,” Owen said as he leant forward for the coffee pot. 

Claire gave him a confused look.

“Natasha. She doesn’t usually work Thursdays,” he went on to explain. 

She watched as he drank a sip of his black coffee. 

“So, you know her work schedule?” She couldn’t keep the suspicion out of her tone. 

“Not really. It’s just, I’ve been coming here for a while and then Natasha started working here.” He whispered the waitresses name, as if he was expecting her to pop up beside him. 

“She would always try to get my number no matter what I said. She’s like way too young for me and I tried to let her down easy, but she wouldn’t listen. So, I asked Margaret, who runs this place which days she doesn’t work.” 

That girl did seem like the type of person who wouldn’t give up for anything. The discomfort on Owen’s face also supported his explanation. 

Claire wasn’t sure why she cared so much. 

“She must have swapped shifts.” Owen murmured to himself. 

Claire hummed in agreement, adjusting Summer in her lap.

A comfortable silence fell over the booth after that. Both adults taking in the rest of the busy diner. 

There were a lot of couples taking up the booths, with a few young families having breakfast. Claire noticed a small kid’s area towards the back, with a few soft play toys and books. 

She’s sure Summer would love that.

The silence was suddenly broken by Owen.

“So,” Owen started, dragging out the word. “Tell me something about you.” 

Claire blinked.

“What?” 

Owen smirked. 

“I wanna know more about you,” he clicked his tongue. “So far, all I know, is your name is Claire. You have a beautiful baby called Summer and you like to shout at strange men.” 

Claire quickly went to defend herself but caught Owen’s teasing look so stopped. 

“I think that’s plenty,” she huffed.

“Oh, come on! Please,” his lips forming a pout as he leant forward. “Tell me anything. I’m not fussy.” 

She thought for a moment. 

Did she want to share any part of herself with Owen?

Claire didn’t really tell people about her personal life anymore. Too scared of the consequences for letting people in. 

On the other hand, Owen had been nothing but kind to her.

He’d given her no reason to be wary. 

Although, neither had George. 

“What about your family? Parents?” Owen pried, his hands lying flat on the table. 

Claire just stared at him.

“Ok, not parents. What about your job?” 

Once again, she didn’t move.

“Fine, no work talk,” he muttered. His eyes lit up with a new idea. “How about home? Where were you born?” 

She broke his gaze, glancing down to her sleeping baby nestled in her arms.

When Claire didn’t offer any information, Owen slumped back in defeat. He sighed as he grabbed his coffee, taking a large sip. 

Claire felt bad.

Her throat drying up. 

A few seconds passed where no one said anything. 

“Wisconsin,” Claire whispered. Her voice sounded raw to her own ears. She coughed quietly to try and clear it. “I was born in Madison, Wisconsin.”

Owen had stopped sipping his coffee in disbelief, his eyes blinking comically. 

He didn’t say anything, clearly trying not to spook her. 

“My Mom grew up there and when she met my Dad, they decided to settle down in the same place she spent her childhood. My Mom loves the winters. She used to take us sledging all the time.” She smiled fondly at the distant memory of her sister pushing her along the icy ground on her favourite pink sledge.

“Sounds like the perfect place for a kid.” 

Claire looked back at Owen, who was looking at her softly. She blushed from the intensity of his gaze, immediately looking away. 

“There was always something to do that’s for sure. My sister and I used to go out in the evenings after school and play in the snow for hours.” 

“Does your sister still live there?” 

She nodded.

“Yeah. Met her husband and settled down.” Claire said, slightly bitterly. “They have two boys.” 

Their conversation was interrupted by Natasha bringing their food. She gently laid down two plates packed with pancakes. 

One stack was clearly the chocolate one, with dark brown chocolate chips poking through the cooked batter. The other plate had four large blueberry pancakes smothered in maple syrup. 

Claire’s stomach rumbled at the sight. 

Maybe she should have ordered something.

Just to tide her over.

Not that she really had the money to be eating out.

Since leaving her job right before Summer was born, she’s been living off her savings. Karen had of course given her a small sum to take to Seattle with her, but she was keeping that for a rainy day. 

As long as her baby was happy and fed, she wasn’t too bothered about herself. 

“Here’s your pancakes Owen.” Natasha smiled widely, pushing a set of cutleries towards him. “I hope you enjoy.”

Owen once again leant away from Natasha, suddenly reaching across the table to grasp Claire’s hand. 

“Thank you, Natasha. Baby, did you want anything else?” Owen’s smooth voice called to Claire. 

She blinked for a second, staring at Owen’s hand laying over hers.

Did he just call her baby?

Her eyes looked up at him, noticing the slight smirk gracing his lips. 

Oh, well played.

“I’m fine that’s babe.” Claire replied sweetly, her eyes narrowing when Natasha turned her back to them. 

As soon as the blonde was retreating, Claire yanked her hand back.

“Baby? Really?” 

Owen held up his hands in surrender.

“Hey, you started it.” He dragged the plate of chocolate pancakes towards him. “Anyway, I know you liked it.” 

Anger flared in her chest.

“I certainly did not and anyway-”

“Claire, I’m kidding.” He chuckled while slicing through the large stack of chocolatey goodness. 

She blew out a breath and relaxed. 

“Whatever.” 

Owen filled his mouth with pancakes, making Claire roll her eyes at his lack of table manners. 

“Arrn ooo gog who eee at?”

Claire stared at him. 

“Excuse me?” 

Owen chewed for a few seconds before repeating himself. 

“I said, aren’t you going to eat that.” He pointed with his fork to the stack of blueberry pancakes which were still untouched. 

“Ummm, no. They’re for you.” 

Owen’s eyes flickered down to his plate, coughing to clear his throat. 

“Aren’t they.” Her eyes narrowed. 

He said nothing. 

“Owen?” 

He looked back at her, sheepishly. 

“I ordered them for you.” 

“I said I wasn’t hungry.” 

Owen nodded as he put more pancakes in his mouth. 

“I know. And I’m not doing this to boss you around or anything. I just…” he let out a sigh around his mouthful. Owen stopped to swallow before continuing. “It’s just, Claire I know when people are lying to me. And I know you’re hungry. Please just eat the pancakes, for my own piece of mind.” 

His eyes were pleading with her to understand. 

She was annoyed that he had ignored her, and embarrassed that he saw through her lie. She should just accept the food and move on. Maybe use this as an opportunity to talk to him about Zara. However, she wanted to know something. 

“Why?” 

He looked shocked by her lack of anger. 

Which she felt slightly guilty for. 

“Why what?” 

“Why do you care? Why do you seem so intent on helping me? I’ve been nothing but hostile to you. I wouldn’t blame you if never wanted to see me again.”

She really wouldn’t. 

Claire was a mess, there was no getting around it. 

Physically and mentally. 

Owen took a while to answer, taking his time to rub a napkin across his face. His eyes taking the time to drink her in. 

He then sat forward and shrugged. 

“I like you.” 

He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world. 

“You don’t know me.” Claire replied coolly. 

“But I want to. I know you don’t want to get involved with anything too complicated Claire, I totally understand that.” He reached for her hand again, giving it a squeeze. “But what about friends? Are friends too complicated?”

She gave him a stern look. Trying to work out whether he was being genuine. 

When she found no reason to think he was lying, she smiled. 

Her hand relaxed under his.

“Friends would be… nice.” 

Owen seemed overjoyed by her response. 

His eyes shining with glee.

“Awesome.” He released her hand once again and pushed the plate of pancakes towards her. “Well, friend. Please eat these pancakes I got for you because I for one know they are the best pancakes in Seattle. And as your friend, I couldn’t let you go another day without trying them.” 

He passed her his fork and waited for her to try the delicious looking breakfast. 

Claire’s tummy fluttered at his tenderness. 

The whole feeling relatively new to her. 

“I guess as a friend, I can’t really say no to that.” 

Without waiting for his response, Claire sat up to lay Summer back down in her stroller, before sitting back down and cutting a piece off her pancake. 

The blueberries were bleeding into the batter, making them a pretty purple. 

“They look good.” 

Owen nodded as he resumed eating his own breakfast. 

“Only one way to find out Red.” 

Claire didn’t even have the energy to glare at Owen for his nickname, as a taste explosion was happening on her tongue. 

This was the third thing Owen had been right about since they sat down. 

Number one, these were definitely the best pancakes in Seattle. 

Possibly in the whole world. 

Number two, Claire had definitely enjoyed him calling her baby. 

The nickname feeling incredibly warming opposed to when George would call her Hunny, patronisingly. 

And three. 

Claire had not liked Natasha flirting with him. 

Not one bit. 

But as they were friends, Claire was only willing to admit one of the three things to him. 

The pancakes really were amazing.


	5. Friday Night Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being forced to run from her old life, Claire Dearing moved herself and her baby daughter to Seattle. She is determined to start a new chapter alone while trying her best to raise her daughter. But a particular firefighter, catches her eye and the world seems to want these two people together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this extra long update. 
> 
> Thanks for all the love for this story!
> 
> ❤️

The apartment was so cold.

Ok, maybe the apartment wasn’t cold, but Claire was.

Her head ached from the air around her.

The TV was playing lady and the tramp for Summer as she lay on her baby play gym mat, her small hands reaching for the toy elephant dangling above her.

Claire had found that mat at a garage sale last week. She made sure she had cleaned it thoroughly before letting her baby play on it.

It seemed to be the only thing that Summer would tolerate when Claire couldn’t hold her.

Her baby didn’t like not being held by her mother. She would cry anytime Claire was forced to put her down.

Claire smiled at her daughter through red eyes as she blew her nose for the hundredth time that day.

She’d began to feel sick last night after Summer had fallen asleep in her bed. It was just a headache and a runny nose so she thought it would blow over.

However, she woke up at four AM, her whole body feeling like she’d been hit by a truck. Her nose was stuffy and there was a distinct tickle at the back of her throat.

She’d got up to try and blow her nose, but Summer sensed her disappearance and woke up.

Between trying to keep her daughter entertained and not passing out, Claire was exhausted.

She couldn’t remember the last time she was sick.

When she was working full-time as an operations manager at Central Park Zoo, Claire never had time to be sick.

There were always investors to show round or new animals to organise.

Not to mention the lack of time Claire possessed to be sick.

Summer squealed from the floor, her legs kicking in joy at the animals above her. Claire gazed at her baby from the couch.

Her body was wrapped in all the blankets she owned.

And Claire was still shivering.

Laying her head back, she groaned.

She needed sleep.

Yet, Summer hated sleep.

She was sure that if she didn’t get rest soon, her head would just split in half from the pressure against her skull.

Just when Claire was about to start weeping in self-pity, her phone began buzzing on the coffee table.

She quickly lent forward, which she found was a mistake with how dizzy it made her and wondered who was calling her.

It was four PM on a Friday night.

Surely her sister had big plans.

Although, she was married with two kids, so maybe not.

To her surprise, it was Owen’s name printed on her screen.

She automatically smiled.

Things have been going well between them.

Since that breakfast three weeks ago, they’d met up four times. Mostly for coffee at The Lazy Cat, but once, Owen had taken them to Volunteer Park on his day off.

He claimed that he wanted to show her the flowers, saying that when the sun comes out in September you have to see the flowers in Volunteer Park.

She was touched by the suggestion, her excitement of doing something different evident on her face.

He’d even taken turns pushing Summer in her stroller.

Claire had come to trust Owen quite a bit.

Owen would now hold Summer while Claire drank her coffee, giving her five minutes of peace.

Not that Summer seemed to mind.

Her face would always light up whenever Owen was around.

Her frowned at her phone, suddenly wondering if they had arranged something for tonight and her sick muddled mind had forgotten.

She quickly thought back to Monday morning when she’d last seen him.

They’d definitely agreed to Sunday.

Owen suggested they try and have lunch at his favourite burger joint.

He’d mentioned something about there being a kid play area and Summer would love all the toys.

Claire quickly swiped her finger across the screen.

“Hello?” Her voice choked out.

There was silence and then Owen’s cheery voice broke through.

“Red you will never believe what just happened.”

Despite feeling awful, Claire cracked a smile at his excitement.

“What just happened Owen?”

“Ok, so we get a call about a fire uptown in a young guy house right?” Claire could hear rustling on the other end of the line and then a door slam shut. He must have just finished the job.

“When we get there, this dude is waving his hands at us and running towards the truck. He looked like really worried, so I thought maybe his kid is still in the house or something.

Maybe a girlfriend.” Owen paused for a second. “But no. This dude begged me to go back inside for his twelve-foot, boa constrictor.”

Claire gasped.

“You’re kidding.”

“No, god I wish I was. The worst thing was I had to do it.” Even though he sounded annoyed, Claire could tell he was secretly loving the excitement. “Coz, the fire wasn’t too serious and was mainly coming from the back of the property, it was safe to extract it from the front bedroom.”

Claire shivered, but this time not from her illness. From the thought of having to carry a twelve-foot boa constrictor.

“I can’t believe you did that!” Claire sniffed, wiping her nose on her tissue.

“I know right. That’s the kind of thing Tom Cruise would do. I’m kind of a badass now.”

Claire huffed into the phone.

“And saving people from burning buildings wasn’t badass enough for you?”

Owen chuckled.

“Yeah, you have a point there. I guess I’m now a double badass.”

“I think you mean a double ass but yeah.”

Claire heard Owen gasp, imagining him pretending to have been shot.

“Claire Dearing you hurt me.”

She giggled at his tone, which was a bad idea as it triggered another coughing fit. She tried to hold the phone away from her as she reached for her water.

“Claire?”

She put the phone down on the couch next to her so she could unscrew her water bottle.

After letting the water soothe her sore throat, Claire heard Owen’s concerned voice call through her cell phone.

“Claire are you ok?”

She grabbed the device.

“Hey, yeah I’m fine.” Her voice wobbling around the words.

“You don’t sound fine.” Owen’s unimpressed voice replied.

Claire did her best to clear her throat and wiping her nose again.

“I’m good Owen. So, what happened with the snake?” She tried to desperately change the subject.

“Are you sick?”

Claire winced.

“No, I’m not, I’m f-”

“If you say you’re fine one more time…” Owen’s voice was stern, but she could hear the worry.

Her shoulders slumped.

“I’m sick.”

Her voice broke as she admitted it, praying Owen had missed it.

Of course, he was as attentive as ever.

“Since when?”

“This morning. I felt bad last night but today’s been bad.”

She heard men talking loudly over the phone. She cursed herself, Owen was at work and didn’t have time to comfort her.

“I’m sorry I’m keeping you from-”

“Do not finish that sentence.” Owen’s gruff voice interrupted her. “Why didn’t you text me, I could have helped.”

Claire felt her eyes tearing up.

“You don’t need to look after me Owen.”

“I want to. That’s what friends are for.” He replied softly.

A lone tear rolled down her cheek.

She was just so god dammed tired and she always got needy when she was sick.

It was the same growing up.

Claire would always be attached to her mom’s hip when she was sick.

“Thank you for worrying Owen, but I’ll be ok by tomorrow.”

She heard Owen sigh.

“You don’t need to do this on your own Claire. You sound exhausted.”

“It’s just a cold Owen.” She replied around a sneeze.

The was silence on the line, until.

“I’m coming over.”

Claire sat up straight.

“What? No Owen-”

“See you in half an hour.”

Before she could object, Owen had hung up.

She should be mad.

She should just call him back and order him to stay away.

That’s what a month ago Claire would have done.

However, Owen had really grown on her.

He was always so happy, and he made her laugh all the time. He was attentive to her and Summer, wanting to make sure they were happy.

And if she’s honest, the idea of seeing Owen right now, filled her with warmth.

The warmth she’d been looking for all day.

***

The next thirty minutes passed by quickly.

Claire used the time to try and organise her small apartment.

She wasn’t a very messy person, but with a six-month-old baby, things tended to get disorganised very quickly.

She was just putting the last of the dishes away when she heard the buzzer for her apartment.

Owen had helped her carry the stroller up the front steps of the building when they’d visited the park. Inquiring then which number she lived in.

Claire made her way towards the intercom, stopping once to lean against the wall as a wave of dizziness came over her.

Once she was stable to walk, she grabbed the phone off the wall.

“Hello?”

There was a crackle before she heard Owen’s rich voice.

“Hey Red, it’s me.”

Claire shook her head at the nickname but buzzed him up, nonetheless.

She walked back into the lounge to check on Summer, who was still happily laying on her back as her small toy puppy played nursery rhymes.

Claire smiled lovingly at her baby before turning around and heading towards her front door.

Owen had never been inside her apartment before.

She was slightly nervous at the prospect.

It’s not that she thought Owen would judge her, because that’s definitely not something he would do, but her apartment wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Although it had all the necessary things, such as a lounge with a small open plan kitchen, a double bedroom with just about enough room for Summer’s cot at the end of the bed and a small bathroom at the end of the hallway.

It certainly wasn’t what Claire was used to.

A year ago, Claire had a penthouse in the middle of Manhattan.

This failed in comparison.

However, Claire wouldn’t swap this newfound life for her old one, no matter what anyone offered.

She had control here.

Safety.

Power.

She also hadn’t let anyone else into her newfound safety yet, which is why she was nervous as Owen made his way up the stairs to her apartment.

Claire waited patiently with her head resting against the black door.

He just wants to help you, she thought repeatedly.

A few seconds later, there was a firm knock on the door.

Claire straightened up, taking a shaky breath, before opening the door.

Owen smiled when he saw her, but his smile dropped slightly as he took in her appearance.

Did she really look that bad?

She tried not to be self-conscious, but her face fell to her feet instantly.

“Hey.” She muttered. “Sorry about,” she gestured to her worn sweats and thick grey hoodie.

“I know I must look… well rough.” She chuckled self-deprecatingly, reaching up to run a hand through her hair.

She saw Owen’s brown combat boots inch towards her, before feeling his hand touching her chin.

“Hey.” Owen’s soft voice filled the silence of the hallway. “You look amazing Claire, no matter what you wear. I was just shocked because you’re so pale.”

Claire looked up at his words, feeling butterflies erupt in her stomach.

She blushed before looking down again and taking a step back.

Don’t lose yourself Dearing.

“I don’t feel great.” She gave him a weak smile before moving for him to enter her apartment. “Come in.”

Owen lowered his hand, nodding his head before stepping through the doorway.

Claire moved to close the door behind him, using the support to lean against.

Owen turned around to look at her, instantly noticing her weariness.

“Woah there,” he quickly stepped towards her, wrapping a strong arm around her waist.

Claire tried to wave him off at first, but then just melted into his touch as her body couldn’t stand on its own anymore.

“Ok Red, let’s get you to bed.” Owen pulled her tightly against him, making sure she was stable. “Hey, I rhymed.”

Claire huffed a laugh against her shoulder, trying to sound sarcastic.

“You are so talented.”

“I know right?” he agreed eagerly.

He walked her through to the lounge area, where the TV was still playing Lady and the Tramp. Owen’s eyes lit up when he caught sight of Summer on the floor.

“Hey SummerDay, how’s my favourite baby doing?”

Summer squealed at the sound of Owen’s voice, making Claire smile into his shoulder.

Owen gently lay Claire back down on the couch, making sure her head was supported by a small stack of pillows.

Then he proceeded to cover her with the two blankets she had been nesting in before he arrived.

“That ok?” He’d whispered as he crouched in front of her. 

Claire smiled as best she could at him, trying to ignore the pain from her temples.

“Perfect, thank you.”

Owen visibly relaxed, standing back up and turning around.

“Hey babygirl,” he cooed at her daughter, bending down to pick her up. However, he suddenly froze, turning his head to catch Claire’s eye. “Can I…”

He gestured to Summer, who was beginning to get impatient, kicking her legs aggressively.

Claire felt her chest fill with guilt at his hesitance, knowing her early outburst in their relationship had caused his hesitation.

“Of course, Owen.” She replied warmly.

He smiled before scooping Summer into his arms.

“You don’t need to ask by the way.” Claire added, closing her eyes to try and rest.

She could feel Owen’s eyes on her, even with her eyes shut.

“Would you be more comfortable in your bed?”

Claire cracked an eye open, watching as Owen rocked Summer gently. Her head was resting on his shoulder with a hand gripping his blue jumper.

Owen was looking at her with so much concern it hurt.

“It’s ok, I’ll be fi-”

“What did we say about the F word Claire?”

She opened both eyes.

“Well, on a general rule, you aren’t meant to say it around children.” She smiled sleepily at her little joke.

Owen shook his head fondly, bending down in front of her again. Only this time, Summer’s toothless smile was in front of her face.

“Hey baby.” She mumbled.

“Come on Missy, let’s get you to bed.”

Owen held out his other hand, waiting for her to move.

“No Owen I’m ok. I need to be here for Summer.”

Claire began to protest but Owen cut her off.

“Don’t you worry about her. I’ll be right here. SummerDay and I will be watching some TV, won’t we baby girl?”

Owen jiggled her daughter in his arms, listening to her squeals of joy.

“You don’t need to do that Owen. I just need to rest for a few minutes-”

“Claire.” Owen gave her a pointed look. “Do you remember that thing, about letting people help you? This is one of those times.”

She sighed.

He was right.

The longer she was sick, the less control she had over her life.

She couldn’t lose control again.

“Ok.” She relented. “But if there’s any problems-”

“I’ll wake you,” he promised.

Claire nodded as she gently sat up, pushing the blankets off her shivering body.

Owen helped her to the bedroom, making sure his free arm was securely around her back.

Summer seemed to be enjoying Owen’s appearance as she had a handful of Owen’s curls in her small hand.

Once Claire was sitting on her bed, Owen peeled back the covers so she could slip in.

“Do you need anything else? Water?”

Claire glanced at her bedside table, noticing the lack of water and tissues.

“Some water would be nice. And maybe my box of tissues?”

She started coughing due to her throat being so dry. Her eyes pricked with tears at how ill she really felt.

She watched as Owen quickly left the bedroom.

There was the sound of cupboards opening and Owen’s soft voice talking to Summer. Claire could hear her baby babbling in return as Owen carried her around.

After about thirty seconds, he was back, carrying a large glass of water, a bottle of pills and her box of tissues.

“Here, drink up.”

Her sat on the edge of her bed, offering her the water.

She smiled gratefully at him.

“Thank you.”

He then adjusted Summer, so she was sitting against his chest but facing Claire. His hand grabbed the tissues he’d placed on the bed and the box of pills.

“Take two painkillers too. Should help with your throat.”

Claire nodded as she downed the glass of water.

Owen handed her two pills as she neared the end of the glass.

She grabbed them from him and threw them into her mouth, quickly swallowing them.

Owen seemed satisfied that she had taken some medicine, standing up with Summer so she could lay down.

“I’ll wake you in a few hours, try and get some sleep.” He smiled at her, pulling the duvet up over her arms.

Claire couldn’t believe Owen was real.

He was so kind to her.

When all she’d been to him was difficult.

That definitely stops today.

“Are you sure you haven’t got to be somewhere?” Claire asked, giving him one last out.

Owen gave her a defiant look.

“Nowhere else I’d rather be.”

With that, he retreated from her bedroom, quietly closing her door so the room was bathed in darkness.

Claire instantly fell back into her pillows, listening out for Summer’s cries of distress.

Strangely, she heard nothing.

Only the faint sound of the TV playing in the next room.

Her body relaxed into the mattress, sleep quickly taking over her body.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this relaxed when falling asleep. Not having to worry about Summer interrupting her rest or her anxiety waking her in a pool of sweat.

Her eyelids closed with her head purring with relief.

God, she hopes she feels better when she wakes up.

***

Claire became conscious to the sound of pans banging.

Her head felt heavy.

Her limps like lead.

Yet, she did feel slightly refreshed after her nap. And the headache she’d had before falling asleep was subdued a great deal.

She reached over to grab the glass of water, before remembering she’d drunk it all.

To her surprise, as she glanced at her nightstand, there was a full glass of apestizing water waiting for her.

Owen must have refilled it.

That was sweet of him.

Claire made quick work of chugging its contents, while grabbing a handful of tissues to blow her congested nose.

As she dumped the tissue on the table, she became aware of the noise coming from her kitchen.

With a mouth-watering aroma to accompany it.

As delicately as she could, Claire sat up, trying to turn her body around without causing her aching joints too much pain.

Once she had her feet on the floor, she stood up, making sure to do it gradually to avoid dizziness.

There was also what sounded like music playing down the hall.

Claire couldn’t remember the last time music played in her apartment. Never really feeling the need to listen to it by herself.

Although Summer absolutely adored Baby Shark.

Must to her dismay.

As she inched past her dresser, Claire grabbed her grey hoodie off the floor. Assuming she’d chucked it off before climbing into bed.

With all her blinds drawn, it was hard to manoeuvre through her bedroom in the dark, especially with her body feeling so woozy.

Somehow, she found the door handle and twisted to pull it open.

Light flooded in from the hallway, making her eyes scrunch.

She ran a hand through her hair as she shuffled down the hall, her thick socks she’d kept on making no noise as she moved.

Reaching the end of her hallway, Claire suddenly noticed the music playing was a country song.

One she was unfamiliar with but pleasant, nonetheless.

The deep, rich man’s voice flowed around her open plan kitchen/living area, accompanied by the sizzling of something cooking on the stove.

Owen, who hadn’t seemed to notice her presence, was currently standing at the stove whilst stirring a large pot.

He was singing softly to the song playing, with Summer held in his left arm.

Claire took the moment to lean against the doorframe, taking in the scene before her.

It was so… domestic.

She couldn’t help the joy that flowed through her.

Never having experienced contentment like this before in her own home.

Not that this apartment was much of a home.

But it would do.

Claire observed her daughter.

Her little fists holding Owen’s tee tightly in her hands, with her eyes watching every movement he did.

Claire had never seen her daughter look so captivated.

Not that she could blame her.

Owen was full of surprises.

He looked good. Standing in her kitchen, humming to himself while cradling her baby.

She didn’t want to love the sight.

But she’d be a fool to deny that she did.

Deciding she’d kept quiet for long enough, Claire stepped forward.

“Owen?”

Her voice sounded hoarse from sleep and sickness, but Owen still heard her over the music.

He instantly turned around at the sound of her voice, his eyes lightening up at seeing she was awake.

“Hey.” He replied softly, taking in her appearance. “How’re you feeling?”

“Actually, a lot better,” she replied honestly. “I haven’t slept that well since Summer was born.”

Owen seemed relieved by her answer, taking a step towards her.

“Your head?”

“Still hurts, but not as bad.”

Owen nodded, a small frown still plaguing his features.

Claire was taken aback by the level of concern he had over her wellbeing, blushing slightly as he continued to study her.

She distracted herself by walking closer to where they stood, peering over his shoulder to see what he was cooking.

“What do we have here?”

Owen seemed excited by her question, quickly turning back to the stove to pick up the wooden spoon again.

“This is Cam’s recipe. She made it for me last year when I got stomach flu.” He gave the pot a good few stirs, allowing the smell to envelop Claire.

Her stomach growled.

She realised the last time she ate was last night as she had felt too awful to stomach cereal this morning.

“Smells amazing.”

Owen nodded in agreement.

“It’s chicken noodle soup. I remember her and Barry turned up on my doorstep at nine PM, to make sure I was still alive.” Owen chuckled at the memory. “I’m not sure who was more maternal, Cam or Barry.”

Claire found herself smiling widely at the thought of a six-foot something fireman, tending dotingly to a sick Owen.

“He must be a good friend.”

Owen’s face softened, grabbing a smaller spoon of the counter.

“Best friend I’ve ever had.” He scooped some of the soup onto the spoon. “Don’t ever tell him that though. Don’t want him to think I’m soppy.”

Claire giggled.

“I promise.”

Owen held the spoon out in front of her face.

“Here, gotta do the taste test.”

Claire raised an eyebrow.

“How old am I? Five?”

He shrugged, jiggling her daughter slightly.

“Nah, more like ten.”

She glared at him but took the spoon in her mouth, nonetheless.

Once the hot liquid hit her tongue, she tried to conceal the moan that erupted but the taste was too good.

“Oh my god,” her eyes widening in disbelief. “That is incredible.”

The flavour was spicy but not to the extent of burning.

Her palette alive with lemongrass and basil ready to soothe her sore throat.

Owen was watching her dumbly, his neck slightly red.

“Uh… yeah. That was my feeling too.”

Claire gave him a strange look, noticing his eyes quickly averting back to the bubbling pot.

“Why don’t you take princess her and go and relax, the food’s nearly done.”

Claire was once again taken aback by this thoughtfulness.

“I don’t mind helping Owen.” She said, taking her daughter back into her arms.

She tried to ignore the way Summer clung to Owen’s shoulder as she lifted her away.

How is she already so attached.

Was this a bad thing?

“It’s all taken care of.” Owen pushed her lightly on the shoulder, steering her towards the couch. “Anyway, you’re the patient. I’m expecting big things next time I’m sick.”

Claire rolled her eyes to hide her blush.

The ‘next time’ indicating sometime in the future.

“I bet you’re a baby when you’re sick.”

“Nuh uh.” Owen stomped his foot dramatically making Claire laugh.

Once she’d been eased onto the uncomfortable couch, she’d got on Ebay, Owen returned to the stove behind her.

“I have to say, you do make an excellent patient.” She heard him call as he searched her cupboards for bowls.

“Well thank you. I honestly can’t remember the last time I was sick.”

Claire sat Summer against her thighs as she talked to Owen over her shoulder, watching as her daughter reached for her auburn hair which was currently tied up in a messy bun.

“That’s good then. You must have the immune system of an Olympic athlete.”

“Do Olympic athletes have good immune systems?” She chuffed.

“Well, they must do. Otherwise they couldn’t do all their training.”

Owen was so random sometimes.

But she can’t argue with his logic.

“I guess you’re right.”

She heard Owen open one of her draws, obviously looking for spoons.

“Isn’t Owen silly baby?” She whispered into her daughter’s face. “But he is very funny huh? I know you like him.”

Claire poked her daughter’s tummy, which always makes her laugh.

She then checked her watch to see how much longer it was before her daughter’s next feed.

Her stomach dropped.

“Owen!”

She stood up quickly, clinging her daughter to her chest.

Owen, who’d been spooning the soup into two bowls froze.

He turned slowly.

“Uh, yeah?”

Claire felt so embarrassed.

“It’s half past eight! You let me sleep for nearly four hours?” Her voice sounded angry, but she was actually mortified.

He must have felt obligated to stay seeing as she was asleep.

She’d stole his whole evening for her.

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

Owen looked confused by her outburst, his hands rising in defence.

“Because you needed sleep. And besides, I didn’t mind. Summer and I watched some TV and played with-”

“That’s not the point Owen.” Claire rounded the couch to move closer to him. “I’ve taken up your whole evening you didn’t have to stay.”

His face softened at her words.

Understanding dawning across his features.

“Claire, it’s ok. I didn’t have any other plans and I wanted to look after you.”

She was dumbfounded, not knowing what to say next.

Deciding to change the subject quickly, she walked past him to her top cupboard.

“Well I’m sorry for sleeping so long. I know that’s probably not how you planned to spend your night.” Before Owen could answer, she continued. “I need to feed Summer now, she was due a feed at-”

“Seven.”

Claire turned her head.

“What?”

“I already fed her.” He shrugged.

Claire stopped.

“You’ve fed her?”

He nodded.

“How did you know when-”

“I remember you mentioned it the other day in the park. You said you had to be back in time for her seven o’clock feed.”

Owen looked embarrassed revealing that bit of information, his hand coming up to run through his hair.

“I saw found the formula in your cupboard. There are instructions on the back,” he said, gesturing to the box she had just grabbed off the shelf. “I’ve never seen you breast feed so assumed you’d have formula somewhere.”

Her eyes flickered down to the box in her band.

“Are you mad?”

Claire looked back up at Owen.

His eyes slightly fearful she would flip out again.

“No I’m… No Owen I’m not mad.”

The familiar sting of tears returned.

She quickly looked down.

“I’m sorry if I overstepped, again.” He walked towards her, stopping a few feet away.

Claire shook her head.

“You didn’t. It’s just…”

“What Claire?”

Her tearful eyes looked up, taking in his concerned appearance.

“It’s nice not having to do all this alone.”

Her voice broke slightly as she admitted it out loud.

Having someone to lean on was so uncommon to her.

Especially when it came to Summer.

Of course, Karen had helped her when she was first born, but Claire could tell having a baby around was stressing Scott out.

Karen’s husband was too traditional.

Thinking woman should stay at home to raise the kids, rather than being successful businesswoman.

God, she hated that man.

Owen immediately closed the different between the two of them, raising a hand to brush away a lone tear.

“I’m glad I can be that person for you Claire. You deserve so much.”

Before she could reply, a knock rang through the apartment.

Owen’s head turned towards her hallway.

Claire’s body stiffened.

What is it’s George?

He’s finally found them.

“Shall I get that?”

Owen went to move but Claire’s arm shot out to stop him.

“No, no don’t.”

He must have heard the deep fear in her voice as he instantly went back to her side.

“Hey it’s ok.” He ran a hand up her arm. “I’ll go check who it is.”

Claire moved forward so Summer was gently touching his chest.

“Owen I- please don’t.”

His face changed.

“Who are you scared of?”

She didn’t want to tell him.

She couldn’t tell him.

He’d think she was weak.

All she wanted was to forget that part of her life.

“I…”

“Claire?” A voice shouted through the door.

To her utter relief, it was a woman’s voice.

“Sorry it’s late but I’ve lost my key.”

Both Owen and Claire turned their heads towards the front door.

“It’s Zara,” she breathed. “She’s my neighbour.”

Taking a step away from him, she turned to grab the spare key Zara had dropped round a few weeks ago.

The woman had bumped into each other a couple of times since the night of the fire alarm.

They’d chatted and Claire had even invited her in for coffee one evening.

Even though the girl was slightly loud and asked way too many questions, Claire found her company entertaining.

It was also nice to have someone living so close that she could talk to and engage with if there was ever a problem.

“She gave me her spare key,” Claire explained as she retrieved it from a pot next to her microwave. “Why don’t you take Summer and wait on the couch, I won’t be long.”

Owen still looked a little concerned about the state she’d been in about thirty seconds ago, but he seemed to understand her desire to forget it.

“Ok, I’ll grab the soup too.”

He reached for Summer, brushing Claire’s arm as he took the baby from her arms.

Electricity ran up her arm from Owen’s touch.

She felt it all over her body.

Owen was too busy smiling at her daughter to notice her flushed face.

Extracting herself from the situation, she spun turned around and began walking down the hallway to her front door.

She had to stop once as her head began pounding from the walk but then she reached for her door handle, giving it a twist to open it.

Zara was standing on the other side, looking incredibly uncomfortable.

“Oh, thank god you’re in.”

Her face was screwed up in pain and her legs were twisted together.

“Are-are you ok?” Claire asked instantly concerned.

Zara shook her head vigorously, her black hair falling in front of her face.

“I must have dropped my key somewhere at work but I didn’t realise until was walking up the stairs. And to top it all off, I need the toilet and feel like I’m going to explode.”

Claire then understood why she was in so much pain.

“Oh god, do you want to use mine?”

Zara looked at her gratefully.

“Thank you so much.”

Claire quickly moved aside so Zara could hop through the door.

“You are the best Claire,” she threw over her shoulder as she walked towards the bathroom.

Luckily, she’d been in her apartment before, so she knew where the toilet was.

Claire wasn’t well enough to have to clean pee of her wooden floor.

Once she heard the bathroom door close, Claire ventured back into the lounge slowly.

Owen was sitting on the couch with Summer snuggled against his chest, a bowl of soup in his left hand.

He was watching some sports channel which was showing the highlights from a football game.

Claire couldn’t help but smile at the sight, her headache forgotten.

“She just needed to use the bathroom,” she explained, walking to the opposite end of the couch.

Owen looked over at her and threw her a smirk.

“I heard.” He turned back to the TV. “Did she make it?”

Claire chuckled as she sat on the arm of the couch.

“God, I hope so. I’m not cleaning than up.”

Owen nodded, his eyes flickering over to her.

He seemed to notice something, moving so his body was now turned towards her. He reached for the remote, turning the TV off.

“Why don’t you sit down, I’ll see your neighbour out.” He went to stand up, leaving his bowl of soup on the coffee table and holding Summer against his chest.

“No Owen I’m ok.” She stood up as if to show him how ok she was, but a sharp pain ran up the side of her head, causing her eyes to scrunch in pain.

“Ok my ass.” He said, rushing to her side. “Please Claire sit down.” He urged her, guiding her body to sit on the couch. “Look, I’ll pop Summer on her mat, see your friend out and then we will eat my cure all soup.”

Owen walked over to the TV to lay Summer down gently on her playmat.

Claire could hear the toilet flush next door as Zara finished in the bathroom.

Then it hit her.

She wasn’t sure why her brain hadn’t thought of it yet.

Probably due to her body being drained of all energy from this bug, but she’d promised to set Zara up with Owen.

Just last week, the Irish woman had inquired about Owen, asking Claire if she’d got the chance to give him her number.

Claire had frozen up and said he’d been busy with work but would talk to him about it later that week.

Then they’d had their lovely day in the park and the idea of setting Owen up with her neighbour made her feel sick.

Just because she wasn’t ready for a relationship yet, didn’t mean she wanted to watch Owen enter into one with the girl who lives across the hall from her.

“Owen,” she sat up straight, trying to grab his arm as he walked past her. “Don’t I can go-”

“Nope, you sit,” he pointed to the couch, walking towards her hallway as she heard the bathroom door open.

She tried to stand up but was instantly hit by a bout of dizziness.

Damn her head.

“Oh, hello,” Claire heard Zara exclaim.

Her stomach tightened in irritation.

“Owen, right?”

“Oh hey. Um, was it Zara?”

Claire was surprised he remembered.

Maybe he’d been more interested in her neighbour than she’d first believed.

Her stomach sunk at the thought

“Yes, good memory.” Claire could tell Zara was trying to flirt by the sound of her overly warm voice. “A man of many skills clearly.”

She snorted.

“I do make a mean lasagne too.” Owen replied. “An incredibly important skill in my book.”

Claire rolled her eyes as she tried to focus on the bowl of soup now in front of her.

“I love lasagne. My mum makes the best in the whole of Ireland. I’d need to try yours to see who makes it better.”

She heard Owen chuckle as they both stood in the hallway.

“I’m not sure if I can beat that.”

Claire tried to zone out, her anger rising with every word spoken.

This had been a mistake.

Who was she kidding? Owen was her friend.

She had no right to get annoyed with him flirting with anyone.

Hadn’t she told him repeatedly that she didn’t want a relationship?

If he wanted to flirt with Zara, he could.

And she wasn’t allowed to let it annoy her.

Yet, it did.

She wanted nothing more than to go up to her new friend and rip her hair out.

Tell her to leave and never even look at Owen again.

Those thoughts were so uncommon to her that she felt repulsed by her own brain.

Possessive wasn’t something she was used to feeling. It was usually something George would feel over her.

Although he was also cheating on her most days so there was a double standard.

“Yeah, she’s in here,” Claire heard Owen begin to walk down the corridor to where she sat.

Trying to pretend she hadn’t been thinking about pushing Zara down a flight of stairs, she quickly took a spoonful of her soup.

“Claire, Owen said you are sick?” Zara’s sympathetic voice called from behind her.

Owen appeared at her side, his face smiling as he sat beside her on the arm of the couch.

She couldn’t help but feel slightly better at the distance now put between him and Zara, resisting the urge to put a hand on his arm.

Just to show he was off limits.

“Yes,” she replied politely. “Just the flu.”

“How’s the soup?”

Claire’s eyes turned to Owen.

“Very tasty.”

He winked at her.

“Told ya.”

Claire rolled her eyes before going back to sipping the bowl of goodness.

“Being sick sucks,” Zara interrupted their conversation. “I find sleep tends to help.”

The irish woman walked forward so she was in Claire’s eyeline, giving Claire a not so innocent smirk.

“Hey Owen, how about while Claire rests, you and I go out for a drink?”

Claire froze, with the spoon halfway to her mouth.

“It is Friday after all,” Zara added, sending Claire a wink.

Zara was under the impression that Claire had no feeling towards Owen. That they were strictly just friends.

Which they were.

And she’d under this impression because it’s exactly what Claire had told Zara the week before.

She can’t be mad at her.

And yet, Claire is furious.

Her grip on the spoon making her knuckles turn white.

“Uh…” Owen scratched the back of his head whilst his eyes flickered to hers. “I should probably stay here with Claire, she’d really sick and I want to make sure she’d ok.”

So, he really is only here because he feels obligated.

Just making sure she doesn’t pass out on her way to the bathroom.

“I think Claire just needs to sleep, right Claire?”

Zara threw her a pleading look, desperate for her help with her supposed ‘friend’.

She felt nauseous.

“If it’s all the same-” Owen started.

“Yeah Zara’s right,” surprised that her voice came out as steady as it did. “I’ll probably just sleep after this,” she pointed at her bowl. “You should try and enjoy what’s left of your Friday night.”

Owen gave her a weird look, turning from where he sat on the couch edge.

“I don’t know if I’m really-”

“Come on Owen,” Zara’s annoying voice broke through his hesitance. “Claire’s right, it’s Friday night. Let’s leave her to rest.”

Owen looked very uncomfortable and gave Claire another strange look.

She didn’t know what to do.

On the one hand she definitely didn’t want Owen to leave with Zara. Especially because she knows exactly what Zara wants from him.

However, she also doesn’t want to give them the impression that’s she’s unhappy with the prospect of them going on a date.

That would mean owning up to some feelings she wasn’t ready to have.

“Go Owen, we’ll be fine honestly. After this I’m going to put Summer to bed and then get some more sleep.”

She avoided looking at him as she spoke, choosing to focus on the remaining contents of her bowl.

“I’ll text you if I feel worse,” her sore voice whispered.

“There we go!” Zara walked towards Owen and lay a hand on his shoulder. “She’s a strong woman she’ll be fine without you.”

Owen reluctantly stood up, not looking at her as he ran a hand through his hair.

“I guess you’re right,” his voice devoid of any emotion.

He walked around the couch to kneel down next to Summer.

He ran a gentle hand over her head and waved goodbye.

“Bye bye Princess, you look after your mom for me.”

Claire couldn’t help but smile at the gesture.

Regret already coiled in her chest.

Owen stood back up and awkwardly gave her a nod.

“Hope you feel better soon.”

“Thank you.”

She looked back down at her bowl.

“See you Claire. It’s coffee at mine next time,” Zara yelled as she walked to her front door.

“I’ve just got to change my top Owen, why don’t you come and tell me about that job of yours while you wait.”

Owen shrugged his shoulders as he followed her.

“Sure.”

Claire felt her headache coming back.

This time ten times worse.

“Bye Claire.”

She looked briefly up at him, trying to rustle up a convincing smile.

“Bye.”

Before he could leave, she called to him again.

“Thanks for looking after me.”

He paused, turning around like he wanted to say something.

For a minute, Claire thought he was about to walk back to her and climb onto the couch.

They’d watch some cheesy movie and Owen would make fun of the lead characters.

However, he just smiled and grabbed his coat off the stand near the door.

When she heard the door shut and the faint noise of Zara making conversation, she realised how ill she really felt without Owen to distract her.

Although she hadn’t felt sick until Zara had knocked on her door.

That was nothing to do with the flu.


	6. Regret Is A Painful Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being forced to run from her old life, Claire Dearing moved herself and her baby daughter to Seattle. She is determined to start a new chapter alone while trying her best to raise her daughter. But a particular firefighter, catches her eye and the world seems to want these two people together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll!
> 
> I hope you all have a safe day with your loved ones. 
> 
> I hope this chapter makes the day even brighter ❤️

The days had begun to turn very cold in Seattle.

It was well into November now, with Christmas commercials already gracing the television screens.

The stores had begun selling Christmas decorations and playing Mariah Carey all day long.

Claire used to love the holidays when she was little.

Her mom used to make such a big deal about getting the Christmas tree and writing lists to Santa, but since Claire’s dad died when she was nineteen, she’d given up on the holidays.

It became easier to forget about thanksgiving and Christmas when she was with George.

He never even mentioned celebrating.

She'd spent one holiday with Karen, but after feeling slightly like a sore thumb, she decided against doing it again.

However, this year was different.

This year she had a baby.

Even though she knows Summer won’t remember her first Christmas, she wants her to have festive pictures to look back on when she’s older.

It will just be the two of them, but Claire doesn’t mind.

She pulls the blanket tighter around her baby who was currently asleep in the stroller.

It was around two PM on a Sunday and Claire was on her way to meet Owen for a late lunch at ‘The Lazy Cat.’

Claire hadn’t been back there for a few weeks and Owen had mentioned that Cam was dying to see Summer.

So, she’d agreed to a lunch at the little café.

Things had been slightly awkward between them since that night Claire was sick.

Not to the point that they had nothing to talk about, because most of the time they couldn’t stop talking.

It was more like, they both had things they wanted to say but no one would make the first move.

Not to mention the fact that, Owen never touched her anymore.

Whereas before he would always put a hand to her back when they went through doors or take her hand to help her up from her chair, but since that night, nothing.

Sometimes, she would catch him staring at her, but then he’d quickly look away and pretend nothing happened.

Claire had been dying to ask him about his date with Zara two weeks ago, but every time she went to bring it up, she lost her nerve.

He hadn’t mentioned her since, not that she’d seen an awful lot of him.

He’d texted her at around 11PM that night he left, asking if she was still feeling ok.

Claire of course hadn’t got it until the morning, when she woke up.

It was sweet, nonetheless.

They’d then spent a brief morning together a few days after, walking around the mall looking for a new play mat for Summer.

Owen had offered to drive them, seeing as Claire didn’t have a car.

Then they’d had a coffee together the week after, but no Zara talk.

It was slowly driving her insane.

It was getting to the point that she was tempted to knock on Zara’s door and ask her out right about things with Owen.

Thank god she only had one glass of wine that night.

Surprisingly, she hadn’t seen or heard from Zara since her date with Owen.

She guessed that now Zara had Owen, she didn’t really need her as the middleman. That thought kind of hurt, seeing as she’d come to like the girl.

Besides the fact she was trying to seduce the man she secretly liked.

That sucked.

She pushed the strolled through the door of the coffee shop, trying not to jostle it too much so it didn’t wake Summer.

She’d been restless last night which was making her extra cranky today.

Although it had been nearly a whole week since she’d seen Owen and Claire was starting to see a pattern in Summer’s behaviour the longer she went without seeing him.

As soon as Claire walked in, she saw Owen standing at the counter talking to Cam.

He was wearing blue jeans which hugged his behind nicely.

He had his favourite grey hoodie thrown on his top half, with a blue baseball cap covering his curls.

Claire always liked it when he wore blue.

Bought out his eyes.

Cam immediately lit up as she watched Claire push the stroller towards the counter.

“And if it isn’t the cutest girls.”

She came around the side of the counter to give Claire a quick hug.

Claire accepted it with one arm, balancing her diper bag on her other.

She’d seen Cam a couple of times her and Owen had come in for coffee, usually with Barry there as well.

Claire understood why Owen loved them both so much.

They were great people.

“Hey Cam, how’s business?”

The dark skinned woman took a step back, wiping her hands on her apron.

“Oh, very good. This time of year, always is,” she said, leaning forward to peer into the stroller. “People would rather be in the warm with a cup of coffee than outside.”

Claire nodded as Cam cooed at her sleeping baby.

She took the time to walk around to Owen.

He gave her a warm smile as she leant up to hug him.

“I could have picked you up you know?”

She tried not to shiver as he whispered it directly into her ear.

“I told you, I like the walk.”

Owen lowered his arms from where they’d been wrapped around her in greeting.

She couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. 

He really gave the best hugs. 

And usually Claire hated people touching her.

“I know, but it’s cold. And icy.” 

Claire rolled her eyes.

“I’m always careful Owen.”

She stepped back to look at the orders board, fancying something a little different today.

“But black ice isn’t,” she heard him grumble next to her.

She ignored his comment with a smile, skimming her eyes over the copious amount of options available.

“Claire, how is it your baby gets cuter every time I see her?”

Cam stepped back behind the counter, shaking her head in wonder.

She laughed at the woman, turning around to pull the stroller close to herself and Owen.

“Trust me, she’s not cute today. She’s in a right mood.”

Claire glanced at her daughter, who was now looking around at the bright lights in the coffee house.

Claire inwardly cringed.

She’d been hoping she’d at least sleep another hour, making the rest of the day a lot more pleasant.

“I don’t know,” Cam replied, turning around to start making an order. “She could do no wrong in my eyes.”

“I’m sure she can’t Cam,” Claire chuckled, knowing Summer would get away with anything when it comes to Cam.

“What’s up with Miss SummerDay then?”

Owen bent down to look into her stroller.

“Someone a little bit cranky?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Claire replied, pushing a hand to her forehead.

Owen reached down to scoop her baby up, watching as Summer’s whole face changed.

“That’s better huh?”

Claire felt warmth spread through her at how familiar he was now with her daughter. He never asked permission anymore before picking her up.

He knew Claire didn’t mind.

Anyway, Summer’s whole mood would change whenever Owen was around.

If Claire was struggling to stop her from crying, she would just facetime Owen and she would start smiling.

Claire would be a little bit jealous, if it wasn’t so damn pure.

“Did ya miss me princess?”

As if in response, Summer squealed.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he laughed, pulling her onto his shoulder for a baby hug.

To stop from tearing up, Claire turned back to the board, deciding she was in the mood for something sweet.

“Hey Cam, can I have a gingerbread hot chocolate and a cheese and ham panini?”

“Coming right up,” she called over her shoulder.

Claire smiled gratefully before turning back to Owen.

“What you are having?”

He looked up at the board.

“I’ve already ordered my coffee,” he paused whilst taking in the food options. “But I think I’ll have a tuna melt.”

Claire made a face at his choice.

“What?”

Owen looked amused.

“Warm fish? Really?”

He shrugged at her.

“It’s actually so good. Especially the way Cam makes it.”

Claire heard Cam murmur, ‘kiss ass’ before putting his coffee on the counter.

“Hey!” Owen yelled, making Claire burst into laughter.

They stood at the counter while they waited for their panini’s to be done.

Claire chatted to Cam as she prepared their lunch, listening to her talk about her and Barry’s new home.

They’d been living at her mom’s for the past two years, but they finally saved up the money for their own place.

Cam excitingly told Claire all the details and even showed her pictures of their new home on her cell.

Meanwhile Owen stood holding Summer, trying to make her baby laugh by making stupid faces.

Once their melts were ready, Owen led Claire to a table near the back of the shop, right beside the large bookcase Claire always admired.

He laid Summer down in her stroller before taking the armchair facing the window.

Claire relaxed into the one opposite which had a view of the whole coffee shop, noticing Cam had a small queue of people forming at the counter.

“So, how’s work?”

Claire was always interested in his job.

Owen never had a boring story from his days at work. Telling Claire hundreds of cases that could be a Mission Impossible film.

“Pretty quiet to be honest,” Owen replied, picking up his tuna melt. “Yesterday I had a call about two teenagers stuck on top of a seven eleven.”

“You’re kidding.”

He shrugged while biting into his lunch.

“Nah. They were drinking and thought it would be fun. Let’s just say, having the police call your parents at one in the morning, really _isn’t_ fun.”

She shook her head in amusement.

“You speaking from experience?”

Something flashed over Owen’s eyes, a flicker of pain.

Then it was gone.

“You know me too well Red,” he smiled, taking a large bite of his panini.

Claire wanted to push him on what she saw.

It wasn’t like Owen to hold anything back when it came to how he was feeling.

He was always berating her about that.

“Owen-”

The ringing of Owen’s phone interrupted her.

He quickly leant forward so he could dig through his back pocket.

Claire reached for her lunch in the meantime, taking a bite of the cheesy delight while Owen looked at his phone.

His face morphed into a frown as he starred at the screen.

She cocked her head at him.

“Are you going to answer that?”

Owen looked up startled, his face turning red.

“Uh… no, I can leave it,” he stuttered.

Claire put her lunch back down on the plate, dusting off a few crumbs that had fallen onto her grey jumper.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind waiting.”

Owen seemed very uncomfortable for some reason. He quickly put his phone face down on the table between them and carried on eating his melt.

“No, it’s not important.”

She decided to let it go, based on how much he clearly didn’t want to talk about whoever had called him.

She instead, asked him about Barry and how he’s finding moving into a new house.

Owen seemed much more comfortable talking about his best friend and happily explained how Barry was handling the life changing moment.

The lunch passed by quickly, with Claire fully sated and slightly sleepy after drinking her hot chocolate and delicious panini.

She was still struggling with her sleep.

Nightmares waking her each night, leaving her either sobbing or struggling to breathe.

Maybe, if she could get Summer to nap when they got home, she could get an hour of extra rest herself.

Owen had a shift at four, so he had to leave in about ten minutes.

“So, when can I see you lovely ladies next?”

He sat with Summer back in his lap. One hand around her tummy with the other holding the remainder of his coffee.

“Whenever you’re free? We have no plans,” Claire smiled softly at him as she picked up her bag.

“Well, I’m working solidly for the next two days and then working again Thursday evening and Friday? So, I could do Wednesday lunch?”

Claire began rooting through her purse for her lipgloss, knowing she’d packed one in here this morning.

“What about Wednesday night? There’s a Christmas movie marathon on and I know how much you love them,” her hand came up empty as she moved things around.

“Oh, I can’t. I’m out that night.”

That made Claire stop.

Owen never had evening plans.

He always made jokes about how free his time was when he wasn’t working.

Was it another date with Zara?

Had they been seeing each other for the last two weeks and he’d been too nervous to tell her.

Maybe, he thought it would hurt her feelings.

Seeing as they are close friends and Zara is her neighbour.

“Oh really? Are you doing anything nice?”

Claire tried to focus on retrieving her lip-gloss, instead of looking up at him.

Owen didn’t seem to notice her sudden interest in his personal life.

“Not really, just work stuff.”

That hurt.

The vagueness in his tone was something new to her.

This was her chance.

“Oh ok,” she finally found her gloss, pulling it out. “By the way, how was your date with Zara the other night. I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

Claire prayed her tone sounded nonchalant but couldn’t help the edge of bitterness that broke through.

If Owen noticed this, he didn’t say anything about it.

He just jiggled Summer on his lap while she sucked on one of his fingers.

“It wasn’t really a date,” his head looking down at the table between them. “But it was ok, we went to Jacobs, around the corner from yours.”

Claire scanned his face for any hint of a smile, something to tell her that he was under playing their date.

His lips weren’t smiling, his eyes didn’t have that twinkle that they did when he was making a joke or enjoying himself.

By Owen’s face, it had seemed like they didn’t really have a good time.

Claire felt her stomach loosen, the knots which had formed when she brought up the topic, relaxing.

“I haven’t been there,” she diverted.

“It’s quite nice actually.”

He didn’t seem to offer up anything else, but Claire wasn’t going to let this go now she’d brought it up.

“So, are you going to see her again?”

She must have given away something in her tone because Owen’s eyes flickered to hers.

He starred at her for a few moments, taking in her expression, like he was also looking for something hidden there.

Then he shrugged.

“Don’t think so.”

She tried not to get excited.

“What, didn’t she like your brilliant facts about dolphins?” She teased him, watching as he broke into a smile.

“Those facts are amazing. Didn’t see you complaining,” that familiar twinkle returned, his lips quirking. “In fact, I remember you asking me for more.”

Claire rolled her eyes, deciding she wasn’t going to ask anymore Zara related questions. As long as he wasn’t seeing her anymore, she didn’t care.

Claire drank the last bit of her hot chocolate, cringing at how sweet the bottom of her drink was.

“I don’t think she was all that into me to be honest.”

Claire paused with the cup to her mouth.

“Huh?”

“Your friend,” he explained. “She hasn’t really messaged me and didn’t seem all that keen to go out again.”

Owen didn’t seem too bothered about revealing that piece of information.

Claire couldn’t believe her ears.

Zara had been _so_ into him.

She’d practically inferred she was going to try and sleep with him on the first date.

A notion which made Claire sick.

Claire also knew from experience that Owen was not a boring guy, he could talk to anyone about anything.

He was the kind of person that everybody liked.

Kids, women, old people and even animals.

There’s no way Zara blew him off.

“You’re kidding,” her disbelief obvious.

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “It’s cool, I think my ego may have needed a little bit of humble pie.”

He poked Summer on her nose, making her squeal with joy.

Owen seemed to be so unaffected by the rejection it confused Claire.

Weren’t men meant to be touchy about being turned down?

Doesn’t it hurt their pride?

Maybe he was playing it off just in case Zara mentioned it, so he didn’t seem bothered.

“And you’re ok with this?”

Owen glanced at her, a smirk playing on the corners of his mouth.

“In all honesty, I don’t think the magic was there.”

Claire felt herself smiling in return.

At least he wasn’t upset by it.

She’s not sure she would be able to console him about another woman.

“Well, it’s her loss,” she whispered softly, watching Owen’s eyes flicker to hers.

Her comment seemed to make him happy.

“Thanks Red.”

Claire narrowed her eyes.

“Please stop calling me that.”

“You love it really.”

“I really don’t think I do.”

Owen stood up with Summer in his arms, moving to grab his hoodie off the back of the armchair.

“Whatever you say, Red.”

Claire opened her mouth to argue but Owen just threw her a knowing smirk.

“You suck,” she mumbled into her cup.

“Right my ladies, I’m afraid I will have to leave you. The people of Seattle need their fires put out.”

Owen moved over to Summer’s stroller to place her down gently, making sure to cover her with her pink baby blanket.

“Goodbye baby girl,” Owen cooed at Summer. “I’ll see you soon.”

He ran hand over her cheek before straightening back up and throwing his hoodie over his head.

Claire watched the interaction carefully.

Always fascinated by his fondness for her daughter.

“Are you going to be ok walking back? It’s getting dark now,” Owen’s concerned tone tore Claire from her thoughts.

“We’ll be fine Owen,” she replied, standing up to gather all her belongings. “The walk isn’t that far and it’s not dark yet.”

Owen nodded.

He helped Claire with Summer’s stroller as they manoeuvred their way out of the coffee shop.

Cam stopped them both for a hug on their way out, which Claire accepted gladly. It was nice having made a new friend who seemed so genuine.

Owen turned red at something Cam whispered in his ear, making Claire give him a confused glance.

He shrugged nervously, before pushing Summer out into the Seattle air.

Once they were both on the sidewalk, Owen gave Claire a short tight hug.

Claire had become very used to his hugs, always loving how tight he held her. 

Not in the aggressive way George would, more comforting. 

More safe. 

After a few seconds, Owen let her go. 

Moving back to create some distance between them.

“I’ll see you both soon.”

Claire smiled warmly.

“I’ll call you. No doubt Summer will want to see your face before bed.”

Owen’s eyes lit up.

“I’d love that.”

There weren’t many people walking around this evening.

Just a couple of businessmen who were just finished for the day. Most people were probably still in work, waiting for the five o’clock finish.

“Ok, well stay safe. I’ll see you.”

Claire tucked her hair behind her ear as he began walking backwards.

“See you Owen.”

She turned around as he got further down the street, his back facing her now.

“Did you have fun baby?” Claire pulled Summer’s blanket down slightly so she could see her little chin. “You like Owen huh?”

Summer’s mouth opened with a quiet gurgle.

“Yeah. I like him too.”


	7. Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being forced to run from her old life, Claire Dearing moved herself and her baby daughter to Seattle. She is determined to start a new chapter alone while trying her best to raise her daughter. But a particular firefighter, catches her eye and the world seems to want these two people together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a while to write as I wasn't sure how much I wanted to happen. 
> 
> I wanted to try and give more insight into Claire's past and why she has such bad trust issues so I hope this helps you understand. 
> 
> Thank you for being patient! 
> 
> Happy holidays everyone. 
> 
> 💕

Claire waited patiently for the elevator doors to open, while trying desperately not to fall asleep against the wall.

The walk home had been uneventful but once Owen had left, her exhaustion had kicked in.

Despite the exhaustion, Claire couldn’t stop smiling all the way home.

Her mind constantly plagued with thoughts of Owen.

His kindness, his hugs, his everything.

She couldn’t really believe she’d allowed him to worm his way into her heart.

The walls she’d created around herself beginning to fall down because of a certain firefighter.

A few months ago, she didn’t even know Owen.

Now she couldn’t imagine her life without him.

When the doors dinged open Claire pushed herself off the wall and gently rolled Summer’s stroller down the hallway.

Her feet dragged slightly as she yawned into her free hand.

The sleepless nights were slowly starting to pull her down.

Summer’s crying combined with vivid nightmares were constantly preventing Claire from sleeping more than four hours a night.

As she neared her door, she silently prayed she had something edible in her fridge for dinner.

She really didn’t want to cook anything crazy.

“Claire!”

She inwardly sighed.

It was Zara.

Claire looked up from the floor to find Zara just going out the door.

She was dressed a grey jumper dress, paired with thick black boots. Her hair was half covered by a matching grey beanie.

“Hey Zara,” she tried to muster up as much enthusiasm as she could.

She had really liked the girl but wasn’t overly keen on the idea of her blowing off Owen for no reason.

Owen was the best man she’d ever known.

He didn’t deserve that.

“How are you babe? Haven’t seen you in weeks.”

Claire gave her a small smile, watching as she locked her front door.

“Yeah, I guess we keep missing each other,” she lied.

The truth is, Claire had been avoiding her since Owen and Zara had gone out. Every time she heard Zara’s door open, Claire wouldn’t leave her apartment for at least fifteen minutes after.

Just to make sure she’d left the building.

She felt silly doing it, but she didn’t want to have to face up to why the thought bothered her so much.

“How’s things? Settled in?”

Zara’s tone seemed genuinely interested, which made Claire feel slightly guilty for avoiding her.

Then she’d reminded herself about what Owen told her earlier and she felt a little better.

“Yeah, I finally can go a day without getting lost in this city now. And I’ve met a couple more people in the building which has been nice.”

Claire ran a hand through her hair, trying to ease some of the tangles she received from the wind.

“Oh lovely. I was meaning to say we should go for coffee soon,” her neighbour said, stepping towards her. “I know this great place a few blocks away. They even have a little play area for kids.”

Zara glanced down at Summer who now asleep in her stroller.

“I’m sure they have a baby section.”

“That would be nice,” Claire replied, reaching into her purse for her keys. “Let me know when you’re free.”

As she found her keys, she moved towards her door to begin unlocking it.

She prayed Zara would get the hint and bid her farewell.

All she wanted to do was put Summer to bed and have a long bath.

“I think it was Owen who actually told me about the place when we went for drinks. He told me I had to try their coffee, and he was right.”

Claire paused at her door.

“Owen did?”

She turned around to face her.

The Irish woman nodded.

“You know, when we had drinks,” she explained.

Claire frowned.

“Oh yeah, how did it go?”

Zara shrugged.

“It was ok. The bar he took me to was lovely.”

Claire could feel a but there but didn’t want to push it.

“That’s nice.”

Thankfully Zara continued.

“I don’t know really. We had a really good time, but when I suggested he come back to mine… he was kind of weird.”

Claire felt herself bristle in Owen’s defence.

“Weird?” She replied sharply.

“He kind of blew me off,” Zara sighed.

Claire gave her a confused look, trying to see if she was lying.

“ _He_ blew you off?”

“Yeah. I mentioned that I wanted to see him again and that he should come back for a nightcap, like they do in all the films,” she chuckled at herself. “But then he told me he doesn’t really think he’s ready for any kind of relationship yet.”

Claire couldn’t believe her ears.

That’s not what Owen had told her earlier.

Zara had been the one to supposedly ghosted Owen.

Why would he lie?

Or was Zara lying.

Even though she was grateful. The idea of Zara and Owen sleeping together made her stomach turn.

“That… sucks,” she replied softly.

“I just don’t get it. I thought we had a lot in common,” her body deflating slightly. “And I know he’s not a douche because he spent most the night talking about you so fondly. He seems like a really good friend.”

Claire felt heat rush to her face at Zara’s admission.

He talked about _her_ on a date?

“He is.”

Zara’s face suddenly lit up.

“Has he mentioned anything to you? You know, about me?”

Claire stiffened.

She couldn’t tell Zara what he actually said because it would hurt her feelings.

Claire didn’t really want to upset the girl.

Even if she had tried to sleep with Owen.

“I haven’t managed to see him recently. He’s been super busy with work,” she lied, hoping Zara would buy it.

She seemed to as she nodded slowly.

“Well, next time you see him, can you try and ask? Subtly of course.”

“I’ll try,” she lied again.

She wasn’t sure how she was going to bring this up to Owen, but she did want to know why he lied to her about Zara.

If he didn’t like her, it’s not like it would bother Claire.

In fact, nothing would please her more than to hear Owen say he wasn’t into her young, attractive Irish neighbour.

“Thanks babe, you’re a doll,” Zara pulled up her sleeve to check her watch, her eyebrows raising at the time. “Shit, I’m meant to be meeting a girlfriend in ten minutes. I’ll see you soon for that coffee.”

“Of course.”

“Bye girls,” Zara called over her shoulder as she jogged down the corridor.

Claire watched Zara’s retreating form, her brain still trying to process the new information.

Why would Owen lie to her?

Maybe he didn’t like Zara but hadn’t wanted to be rude.

Did he think she was best friends with the girl?

Because they weren’t really close.

Claire unlocked her door with a preoccupied mind, pushing Summer over the threshold when the door swung open.

She didn’t know whether to bring it up.

Would it be awkward?

Maybe she should just forget about what Zara said.

She doesn’t like lies though.

It’s how arguments always start.

* * *

_Claire winced as she touched the bruise on her shoulder._

_Staring into the bathroom mirror to check her most recent injuries, had become a new ritual at night._

_The effect of being pushed into the side of the bedroom door last night, was now showing up in dark browns._

_She turned her head to the sound of George coming in from work._

_He was clearly talking to someone on the phone as she could hear mutterings through the bathroom door._

_Claire quickly pulled her sweater down over her shoulder and ran a hand through her still damp hair._

_Taking a breath and making sure she looked presentable, Claire unlocked the door and went to greet her boyfriend._

_She padded down the hallway, listening to George’s heated conversations with whoever was on the other end of the phone._

_“I don’t give a shit how much he wants David, tell them to go to hell.”_

_Claire walked into their spacious open plan lounge area, seeing the skyline of New York city at night, dazzling in the background._

_The night times really showed the benefits of having a penthouse apartment in the middle of Manhattan._

_The apartment was slightly cold this evening, making Claire pull her sweater tighter around her body. She watched as George threw his jacket onto the couch, pulling a black dress shoe off as he went._

_“Just make sure you let me know when he calls.”_

_Claire passed him as she walked towards the kitchen, giving him a small smile._

_He grabbed her arm as she went passed, pulling her into his body._

_“Just get it done David. I have more important things to be dealing with,” his smug voice said into the phone._

_With that he ended the call, tossing his phone onto the couch beside his jacket._

_“Hey.”_

_Claire looked up at him with a smile._

_“Hey.”_

_George kissed her, pulling her seductively closer. He made sure every part of her was moulded to his body._

_He roughly shoved his tongue into her mouth, groaning as he cupped her ass._

_“I missed you,” he broke away to whisper._

_Claire rolled her eyes internally._

_He always said that, but the sentence had lost all meaning now._

_“Me too,” she breathed, eager to appease him so she could go and make dinner._

_With one last kiss, he let her go._

_His arms fell away from her but not before slapping her ass as she walked towards the kitchen._

_Claire held back the urge to slap him back, taking a deep breath._

_She wasn’t in the mood to argue tonight._

_“I’m going to shower.” His smooth voice announced from the fridge. He emerged with a beer in his hand. “Wanna join me?”_

_Claire stomach clenched._

_“I would love to… but I’ve got to get dinner started for you.”_

_She tried her best to play the loving housewife he always wanted. Nausea rising at the embarrassment of admitting this is what her life had come to._

_“What would I do without you?”_

_He grabbed the bottle opened off the counter, reaching around her body to do so. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, bared from the sweater slipping off._

_“Probably starve,” she forced a laugh._

_George chuckled against her skin._

_“You’re probably right.”_

_She heard him leave._

_Her body relaxing into the granite._

_She ran a shaky hand up through her hair, exhaustion suddenly overcoming her._

_Reaching down to open a drawer, she fished out a saucepan for pasta._

_She’d make him his favourite._

_Hopefully that would avoid any run ins tonight._

_As Claire started to prepare the sauce, she heard George’s phone buzzing constantly. The noise coming from the couch where he’s left it._

_It was rare for George to go anywhere without his cell._

_Interest getting to better of her, Claire moved towards the noise. She took a moment to double check she could still hear the shower running from down the hall._

_Then she walked around the side of the couch to see who was messaging him._

_Maybe if it was work, she could tell him they were trying to get hold of him and he would be busy all night._

_Unable to try and touch_ her _._

_As she bent down to peer at the screen, her eyes narrowed at the messages._

_It definitely wasn’t work._

_Who the hell was Molly?_

_Claire couldn’t believe her eyes._

_All this time, all the feeling guilty when he got mad at her. All the trying to hide the bruises or scratch marks._

_All the apologising for upsetting him._

_He was fucking someone else._

**_What time shall we meet tomorrow?_ **

****

****

_He was supposed to be dealing with a case tomorrow._

_In Washington._

**_Tonight was fun! ;)_ **

****

****

_She felt sick._

_Her eyes pricking with tears._

_How dare he._

_After making her feel like shit for the past year, he does this?_

_After forcing her to sleep with him whenever he wants, he was still sleeping with another woman._

_Was it just this woman?_

**_I’ve already planned what I’m going to wear._ **

****

****

_Claire heard the shower turn off._

_George was softly singing as he got out of the shower._

_Anger flowed through her bones._

_She wanted nothing more than to shout at him, confront him._

_Maybe even hit her for all the times he’d hurt her._

_She couldn’t though._

_He owned her._

_George will always own her for as long as she wants to keep her life._

_The phone buzzed once more beside her._

**_Nothing…_ **

****

****

_She walked away._

Claire shot up.

Disorientation making her feel dizzy.

Why was she in her lounge.

She glanced around and saw the TV was playing snow white, the volume on a very low level.

Damn she must have drifted off.

Today had been a quiet day.

Mostly filled with Claire playing with Summer and going for a gentle walk in the park.

After bumping into Zara yesterday, Claire had decided to spend the next two days mulling over how to broach the subject with Owen.

Or if she even wanted to bring it up.

He’d sent her a few messages in the morning, complaining about how slow his shift was going.

Wondering what she and Summer had planned.

She’d sent him a picture of Summer sitting on the couch, propped up by dozens of pillows as she watched cartoons.

Owen had sent back a heart eyes emoji followed by a crying face.

Claire had smiled widely at her phone, wishing he was here to snuggle down and watch movies with them.

Things were getting very complicated between herself and Owen.

She kind of liked it.

Quickly scrambling up, she heard her phone ringing on the table. Assuming that was what woke her from her nightmare, she made a leap for it.

When she grabbed the phone, she saw it was eleven o’clock.

That means she slept for nearly four hours.

Luckily, she’d put Summer to bed just before six, making sure she was securely wedged between two pillows on her double bed.

There was no crying coming from the baby monitor, so Claire assumed she was still fast asleep.

Turning her phone over to find out who the hell was calling so late, her eyes widened at Owen’s name written across her screen.

It was accompanied with a picture of him holding Summer that she’d taken on one of their outings.

Summer was sitting in his lap as he drank coffee.

His hair was very curly on top of his head, with his strong arms on show from a short sleeve tee. Owen wasn’t looking at the camera, but rather looking down at her daughter with a great deal of love in his eyes.

It was her favourite picture right now.

She quickly swiped to accept the call, terrified he’d got into an accident or was in trouble.

Although she did remember he wasn’t working tonight.

“Owen?”

There were muffled sounds coming from the other end, the distant sound of music playing.

“Hello?” She asked a bit louder.

“Claire?” Owen’s loud voice asked suddenly.

She could hear more things now.

Like the shouts from other guys and the clinking of glasses.

“Owen, where are you?”

“Claire!” He sounded thrilled. “Hey, I didn’t know if you’d pick up.”

His voice sounded very relaxed, like he was in no rush to finish the ends of his sentences.

“Well, it is eleven dummy.”

She heard him gasp.

“Now what are you doing up so late missy? You should be in bed.”

Claire tilted her head up as she considered something.

“Owen?”

“Yes?”

“Are you drunk right now?”

“Why yes, I am. Thanks for asking,” he drawled, taking the time to glaze over the word thanks.

Claire couldn’t help but giggle into her hand.

“At eleven? Isn’t that pretty poor form?”

Owen tutted.

“Hey! I’m not as young as I used to be ok!” She could hear the pout in his voice. “I can’t drink as much and still be able to function tomorrow.”

Claire rolled her eyes as she pushed off the couch.

She picked up her leftover dinner plate and dumped it into the sink.

“I see. Does this mean tomorrow morning I’m going to receive a whiny phone call about how much your head hurts?”

Claire walked out of her kitchen to quickly check on her baby.

“Absolutely. Aren’t you a lucky girl?”

She heard someone shout something at Owen, listening to the other guys near Owen laugh.

“It’s Claire,” she heard him shout.

Has he told his friends about her?

Why does that make her feel warm inside.

“Claire, Barry says bye.”

“Bye?”

She waited for him to realise his mistake.

“I didn’t mean bye.”

She chuckled as she gently pushed her bedroom door open, peering in to see the gentle rise and fall of her daughter’s chest.

Satisfied she was still calmly asleep, Claire backed out of the room.

“I know what you meant Owen.”

“No Barry you can’t say hi… Because I’m talking to Claire now… It’s my time.”

Claire felt herself blush at Owen’s words.

Now he was fighting over talking to her.

She kind of likes drunk Owen.

“Not that I don’t enjoy hearing you shout at your friends, but was there a reason you called me?”

She plucked a fresh glass from her cabinet once she’d made it back down the hall, filling it with water.

Her sock clad feet curled against the cold floor and she took large gulps of it.

“I missed you,” he admitted quietly.

Claire choked.

Her windpipe sucking in desperately for air.

“Claire?”

“I’m… fine,” she wheezed.

“I wanted to hear your voice.”

Claire held a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide.

“Really?”

“Yep.”

Owen didn’t sound shy about admitting any of that, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She should hang up now.

They were toeing a very dangerous line.

A line that they might not be able to come back from if they weren’t careful.

“Owen-”

“I miss your laugh. I miss your baby. I miss your face,” he carried on listing things he missed about her.

“Owen…” she giggled.

“I miss your jumpers. I miss your nose. I miss everything,” he sighed.

“That’s sweet Owen,” her heart bursting with fondness.

“I wish you were here,” there was less humour in his voice as he said that. Like he wasn’t intoxicated at all.

“Not the best place for a baby,” she tried to joke but it fell flat.

“Maybe you’re right.”

There was a silence on the line.

Claire listened to the noise of people chatting and laughing, telling stories of their day and sharing food and beer.

She stood up straighter as she leant against her kitchen counter. Her left hand wringing repeatedly in her blue oversized hoodie.

This was her chance.

“Owen?”

“Mhmmm.”

“Why did you lie to me about Zara?”

She heard his sharp intake in breath.

The sudden void between their conversation.

All humour was gone.

“How did you?- ”

“I bumped into Zara yesterday and she mentioned how she’d had a great time but you kind of blew her off.” She began rambling as her nerves grew. “And then I thought she was lying but then I realised she had no reason to lie because she didn’t really turn out great from the story and I know how much she fancied you.” She took a quick breath before continuing. “And she’s like really pretty and totally wants you so I couldn’t understand why you blow her off?”

The noise that had been on the other end of the phone got distinctly quieter, like Owen had moved outside.

“And why you’d lie to me about it? If it’s because you didn’t really like her and you think I’ll be offended, Zara and I are not very close. I barely even know her really. So, I don’t mind if you didn’t really hit it off. But please don’t lie to me I really hate liars and I don’t hate you so please don’t lie to me.” She paused, letting her mind process what she’d already said. “So, why did you blow of Zara?”

“Because she’d not you.”

Claire froze, her hand halfway to her hair.

She was not ready for that.

She could hear the thumping of her heart through her ears.

“What?”

Owen coughed gently.

“She’s not you Claire.”

He gave her time to take in that information, before continuing.

“I didn’t really want to go out with her, but when you said that I should, I kind of assumed you weren’t really interested in me, so I took a chance and went for a drink.” Claire could tell the alcohol was fuelling his honesty, knowing he wouldn’t ever be this honest normally. “But at the end of the night I knew I wasn’t really interested in anything romantic with her, so I pretended I wasn’t looking to date. Lame right,” he laughed.

Claire shook her head in disagreement but didn’t dare interrupt him.

“I kind of decided that night that I wasn’t going to get my hopes up about us anymore. I just kept getting hurt by it.”

His sad voice cut a whole right into Claire’s heart.

“But you messaged me the next morning about going to the park and I couldn’t seem to say no. I always want to be around you Claire. You make me happy.”

Claire’s eyes began to sting with tears.

Tears of happiness.

“When you asked me about the date at coffee I kind of panicked. You’d encouraged me to go on it, so I didn’t want to admit I’d blown Zara off. I also for some weird reason didn’t want you to think I was interested in her, because I’m not. And I’m sorry I lied about it I just wanted you to want me and I… I’ve said way too much.”

Claire’s hands wiped the few tears escaping from her eyes.

“I’m so sorry for calling you,” Owen’s guilty voice admitted. “It’s late and I’m drunk and definitely shouldn’t have said half the things I hav-”

“I do.”

“What?”

She took a breath.

“Want you.”

No one said anything for a few moments.

Only the sound of an occasional car made a noise on Owen’s end.

He must have gone outside.

“You do?” His voice asked in disbelief.

She smiled like it was the simplest thing in the world.

“I really do.”

Owen breathed deeply, his breath sounding shaky.

“I don’t- I don’t know how to process that right now.”

Claire shook her head with a laugh.

“Me neither.”

“I can’t believe… Oh I wish you were here right now,” he groaned.

“Me too.”

“Can I come over tomorrow? To talk?”

Claire felt the familiar grip of anxiety, the unknown not something she’d usually be comfortable with.

Owen is worth it though.

He’s worth anything.

“Of course. I’ll be here all day.”

“Ok. I have work till six, but I’ll come by after?”

Claire felt her stomach swoop.

“I’ll see you then.”

“Great,” she heard the smile in his voice.

“Text me when you are home safe ok?”

“I promise.”

Claire smiled shyly even though he couldn’t see her.

“Ok, well night Owen.”

There was a beat before his warm voice replied.

“Night Claire. Sweet dreams.”


End file.
